How I was sold for N250,000, escaped sex trafficking in Mali

Actress Jumoke George’s daughter, Adeola, has recounted how she was trafficked from Nigeria to Mali and almost forced into prostitution.

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PREMIUM TIMES reported that Adeola, who went missing for four years, returned to Nigeria with the help of the Nigerian government.

During an interview on actress Biola Adebayo’s ‘Talk To B’ podcast posted on YouTube, Adeola disclosed that she travelled to Mali after a close friend informed her about a job opportunity in the country.

Narrating how what she believed was a legitimate job offer turned into a nightmare, she said: “I met Blessing, whom I had lived with for some time. She told me she knew someone in Mali who owned a pharmacy and that I could manage it whenever the owner wasn’t around. I asked if the owner had died, but she said no—the woman wanted to return to Nigeria to rest and was looking for someone to run the business since she wasn’t planning to go back.

**Adeola, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Adeniyi Johnson and Biola Adebayo**

“I agreed, and Blessing said I should let her know when I was ready. I asked what I needed to travel, and she said she would lend me some money and arrange a document to facilitate my travel, which I could repay with my first salary. We left without informing anyone at home. We boarded a car in Cotonou, heading to Africa 2. We passed through Togo, Ghana, and other countries. The journey took four days. Six drivers were in the vehicle, taking turns when one got tired. Sometimes, we stopped to bathe and take care of ourselves.”

N250,000 to N1.5m CFA francs

Additionally, she revealed that she only discovered her purpose in Mali was sex work, not pharmacy, after arriving there.

She added that she was shocked and confused, and wondered how a promise of pharmacy work turned into prostitution.

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“When I arrived in Bamako, Mali, I called the contact I had been given. When I got to her house, she told me she was now my ‘madam’ and had bought me from my sister. She said I would have to work to pay her 1.5 million CFA francs. I was shocked and confused, wondering what was happening. She told me I would work as a ‘sex worker’ to repay the money. I told her I couldn’t do such work and would rather die. She threatened me, but I told her she could do whatever she wanted.

“After a heated exchange on the first day, I met her again the following day, hoping she would be calm. She then explained that Blessing had told her I was looking for work and wanted to travel. According to her, she gave Blessing N250,000 and agreed that I would repay 1.5 million CFA francs. I told her I knew nothing about that arrangement and that I couldn’t engage in prostitution. I asked her to find me a different job to repay the N250,000. She refused and seized my phone, documents, and everything I could use to leave Mali.”

Help

Furthermore, Adeola noted that after her traffickers had seized her travel documents, she managed to escape with the help of a man who assisted her in finding work as a food vendor.

She added that once she secured employment, she became determined not to return home empty-handed after spending four years away, despite the trauma and suffering she had endured.

“I met a man born in Nigeria but of Malian descent. I told him I needed help and that I couldn’t do the work I had been trafficked into. I asked if he could help me find work as a cook, a nanny, or someone to care for the elderly, anything but prostitution. He said he would try to link me to a village food canteen. He lent me 30,000 CFA francs to travel. When I arrived at the canteen, someone warned me that Malians didn’t pay well and encouraged me to take up prostitution instead. I refused.

READ ALSO: FG rescues actress Jumoke George’s trafficked daughter from Mali

“I met the woman in charge, and she asked if I could be friendly with customers. She accepted me and offered to pay 15,000 CFA francs. While working as a food vendor there, I heard terrible stories and saw Nigerian girls who had died because of prostitution. I wanted to raise some money so I could return home. I didn’t want to go back empty-handed. I thought about calling my mother and children, but I was too ashamed. I don’t know how righteous my mother is before God, but he surely used her prayers to save me from the evil that awaited me in Mali”, she added.