By Bosede Adewale, Benue

An 18-year-old girl from Benue State has recounted months of abuse and forced prostitution after escaping from an alleged human trafficking ring in Mali.

The teenager, whose identity is withheld for security reasons, told newsmen in Makurdi at the weekend that she and three other young women were recruited in March 2026 with false promises of jobs overseas.

“They told us we would be working as sales girls and earn good money. We were deceived,” she said.

According to her, their journey started in Benue and passed through Otukpo, Enugu and Lagos before traffickers moved them through illegal routes into Mali using fake documents.

“They asked us to pretend we were selling sachet water in Lagos. Then they locked us indoors until it was time to leave Nigeria,” she said.

Upon arrival in Mali, she said their phones and travel documents were seized. The girls were then separated and forced into commercial sex work.

“I was forced to attend to numerous clients daily – sometimes as many as 20. I was beaten whenever I complained,” she stated.

She described the conditions as “harsh and inhumane,” adding that victims survived on one meal daily and faced constant threats.

“Some of us were made to take oaths and warned not to escape until we paid huge debts,” she said.

“I paid close to one million CFA francs, yet I was not still freed. That was why I decided to run,” she said.

The survivor escaped after her handler left money within reach while intoxicated. She contacted an acquaintance in Nigeria who linked her with anti-trafficking advocates.

While she returned, she was received in Makurdi by the General Manager of Benue Links, Comrade Alexander Fanafa, who facilitated her transport from Lagos.

She warned young women against “deceptive promises of quick wealth overseas”

However, Fanafa called for stronger action to dismantle trafficking networks, urging security agencies to shut down trafficking routes in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.