Friday 11 April 2014

Human trafficking: 10 men raped me daily in Burkina Faso, teenage girl tells court

Federal High Court, Lagos
A 19-year-old-girl, who was lured into prostitution in Burkina Faso, on Thursday told a Federal High Court in Lagos that she was made to sleep with 10 men daily.
“I was sleeping with more than 10 men daily to make money that would cover the expenses for my trip to the country,” she said at the resumed hearing of the case.
The girl had told the court that the accused —Christian Awanebi of Pagilaidi-Onagadouguo, Burkina Faso and Ariwayo Olowede of Block 337, Ilasan Estate, Lekki — took her to Burkina Faso in 2011.
She said she was a sales representative on Victoria Island, Lagos, before she was taken to Burkina Faso.
According to her, the men promised her that she would be given the job of a salesgirl in a big supermarket in the country.
“Rather than getting the job, I was asked to sleep with men so that I could make up to N200,000 to repay the expenses for my trip to Burkina Faso.
“I collected an equivalent of N5,000 from every man that I slept with and I also made a blood covenant with the men who took me to the country not to tell anyone about my ordeal.”
The girl, who was cross-examined by the counsel for the accused, Mr MacJohnson Oddeh, said her boyfriend, one Sikiru, introduced her to the two accused.
“I decided to go to Burkina Faso because the accused showed me passports of other girls they had helped, who were making money there.
“They assured me that I would make more money there to help my family since my father is dead,” she added.
She told the court that it was the National Agency for Prohibition in Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) that facilitated her return to Nigeria.
The prosecutor, Mrs Anthonia Mgbemeje from NAPTIP, asked the court to adjourn the case to enable her to call other witnesses.

tribune

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