Four Nigerian Girls, Including 14-Year-Old, Rescued From Mali Trafficking Ring
Four Nigerian girls from Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State, including a 14-year-old minor, have been rescued from an alleged human trafficking network in Morila, Mali.
The victims were reportedly lured to Mali with promises of jobs in gold mining and shops but were allegedly forced into prostitution.
Their rescue followed a joint intervention by the Global Anti-Human Trafficking Organisation and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons.
In a statement issued on Monday, GAHTO founder, Prosper Michael, said the operation was launched after one of the victims sent a distress message through WhatsApp, having used an artificial intelligence tool to seek help.
Michael said the message reached Geoffrey, Head of Operations at NAPTIP’s Uyo Command, who contacted him for assistance.
He said he subsequently reached one of the victims and worked with a Nigerian community leader in Mali to facilitate their rescue and safe return.
One of the survivors, identified as Sekinat, a 23-year-old auxiliary nurse, said her mother’s friend had promised her a legitimate job in Mali.
“I started the journey on October 14 and got there on October 19. When I got there, she collected my phone and ID cards. She later told me that the work they do here is prostitution. I thought it was a joke,” she said.
Sekinat alleged that the woman threatened to sell or kill girls who refused to engage in prostitution.
She also claimed that the trafficker collected CFA2.5m to arrange their journey but instructed them to tell the embassy that she had spent CFA1.5m bringing them into Mali.
According to her, the victims eventually obtained a hidden phone and used an AI tool on WhatsApp to seek assistance after an earlier attempt to contact a Nigerian Army officer failed.
“We sent him our pictures, our madam’s number and her name and the name of the area. We were four in number,” she said.
Geoffrey said the distress message described the victim as a Nigerian girl trapped in Mali, whose passport had been seized and who was being pressured into prostitution.
He added that the discovery that one of the victims was 14 years old was particularly disturbing, describing her situation as child abuse.
The rescue team called on Kogi State authorities and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, to support the survivors with medical care, counselling and educational assistance.
They also urged the relevant authorities to investigate the alleged trafficking network and prosecute those found responsible.
By Oluwafemi Shodipe.
