An 18-year-old girl from Benue State has recounted her dramatic escape from an alleged human trafficking network in Mali after enduring months of exploitation, abuse, and forced prostitution.
The teenager, whose identity is being withheld for security reasons, shared her experience with journalists shortly after arriving in Makurdi following her rescue and return to Nigeria.
According to her account, she was recruited in March 2026 alongside three other young women by individuals who promised them well-paying jobs and a chance at financial independence abroad.
The survivor said the journey began in Benue State and took them through Otukpo, Enugu, and Lagos before they were transported through several West African countries into Mali using unauthorized routes.
She alleged that traffickers instructed the girls to pose as sachet water vendors while in Lagos and later confined them indoors as preparations were made for their departure from Nigeria.
According to her, the syndicate used remote bush paths to avoid immigration checks and supplied them with falsified identity documents bearing altered ages and places of origin.
Upon arriving in Mali, the young women were reportedly separated and handed over to different handlers who immediately seized their phones and travel documents.
The teenager said the jobs they had been promised never existed. Instead, she alleged that she was forced into commercial sex work and compelled to hand over all earnings to her handler.
She described living under harsh conditions, surviving on only one meal a day while facing threats, intimidation, and physical violence.
The survivor further claimed that some victims were subjected to traditional oath-taking rituals and warned not to attempt escape until they had repaid large debts imposed by their handlers.
"I was forced to attend to numerous clients every day and was beaten whenever I questioned instructions or failed to meet expectations," she alleged.
Months of exploitation eventually affected her health, she said, but the cost of medical treatment was added to her debt despite deductions already being made from her earnings.
The teenager explained that a chance for freedom came when she secretly contacted an acquaintance in Nigeria.
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