Human trafficking, the world’s third largest crime industry, is said to be assuming a disturbing dimension in the South-East region of Nigeria. What factors are responsible for this development? What are the manifestations of the crime and what efforts are being made by state and non-state actors to arrest the ugly trend? In this Special Report, Ade Olu attempts to provide some insights to the questions.
Osinachi Ikeoha (not her real name), hails from Ebonyi State, but resided in Enugwu-Ukwu, Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State. A product of an indigent family, she became a victim of human trafficking in December 2019 after falling for the tricks of a close neighbour, who deceitfully convinced her mother to release her sixteen-year-old daughter to serve as a housemaid to an aunty based in Onitsha, the commercial nerve centre of Anambra State, who will pay her handsomely for the services.
“She promised that the aunty in Onitsha will take good care of me. So, my mother agreed, and I followed her to Onitsha. But, before I knew what was happening, I found myself at Elele, Rivers State. I was not comfortable,” she said.
While she was still struggling to unravel the sudden change of destination, Osinachi had no premonition that she had been engaged for forced prostitution. “I slept with ten men that same night. I did not know that I would not die. In the process, I got pregnant. But I could not say who was responsible because many men slept with me.”
Despite being pregnant, the exploitation continued. Fortunately, succour came her way through an unknown person. That was the end of the experience she described as the worst moments of her life. “I did not know the man. He was touched by my sufferings and decided to help me. He was God sent,” Osinachi noted.
She returned to Enugwu-Ukwu and reported the matter to the Sexual Assault Referral Centre, which took it up with relevant authorities. It could not however be ascertained if she had gotten justice.
Osinachi’s story, which undoubtedly reflects the reality around internal trafficking within the shores of Nigeria, is a violation of Section 3 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015, which prohibits taking advantage of somebody’s vulnerability to recruit, transport, transfer, harbour or receive him or her for the purpose of exploitation, in a manner that the victim becomes helpless and sees submission to the abuser as the only option available in his or her situation.
Chukwuka Onyegesi from Awa Idemili, in Orsu Local Government Area of Imo State, presents another pathetic tale of genuine intention gone awry. Chukwuka, a businessman, decided early 2020 to explore economic fortunes in other clime after his thriving business took a nosedive. He recounted with bitter feelings: “I was selling electrical bulb, wire, etc. I learnt the business for nine years. But the Chinese company I was selling their products went down. It really affected my business. That was why I decided to move out of the country.”
His preferred destination was Germany, and he was ready to pay his way through. “I met an agent, who prepared the documents after paying him N1.6 million,” he said. “I started the journey. We travelled by air to Egypt. That was where they told me my papers were not correct. I was deported. It pained me.”
However, his determination to relocate was undying. Six months after the unfortunate deportation from Egypt, Chukwuka, was poised to try again. “I met a new agent to help me to Germany because I know there are jobs there. But the agent confused me to settle for Indonesia as a better alternative to Germany.”
Out of desperation, Chukwuka gave in, and the agent got all the necessary documents for the journey. Unlike, the first attempt, Chukwuka’s trip to the Asian country was very smooth. However, the success was short-lived. “Immediately I landed, I was happy. I called the number of another agent, who was supposed to assist me to settle down and search for job. The number was not connecting. I tried it for days and weeks, no way. My hope was gone because I had only three-month visa.”
Stranded without any idea of what next to do, his visa expired, and Chukwuka immediately became an illegal immigrant, a fate common to several Nigerian migrants. “I saw Nigerians, who were involved in dirt jobs including internal fraud, yahoo business, but I could not do it. I finished the money on me. Life was tough for me.”
To beat the Indonesian law, Chinedu decided to help himself. “I started hiding because if they catch me, it is either they deport me or throw me into cell. I did not want to be deported and I did not want to go to jail.”
But he soon ran out of luck. Immigration officers raided their hide-out. “One day, they came to our house and arrested all of us. They threw the four of us into cell. My brother, all the fourteen of us I saw were Igbos. We were feeding only on white rice.”
“If they put you in cell and nobody comes for you, they torture the person to death. To come out, you must pay between 500,000 and 700,000. They threatened to kill me and said our government would do nothing about it,” Chukwuka recounted.
The threat to kill was not empty one, according to s Chukwuka: “There was one guy they beat to death. They took him out and tortured him so that his people can bring money. He died in the process. It was God, who said I would come back alive.
“Before they arrested us, I made a video requesting for help. Unknown to me, RARJUDA International was already making effort to rescue me. When they came, they could no longer interact with me. I had linked them up with another person. They worked together with him to bring me out of prison,” he said.
Expectedly, Chukwuka’s release from prison, facilitated by RARDUJA International, a non-governmental organisation, left him with sorrowful emotions. “I did not believe it. I was afraid of not being taken back there. I only believe I was free when I entered the plane bringing us back to Nigeria,” he noted.
Full of regret for the two dangerous adventures, Chukwuka’s woes got compounded back in Nigeria by unfulfilled government promise of empowerment. He recounted the occasion and promise at Government House Owerri. “Despite all that the state government promised me, that they would treat my matter to enable me to get back to my business, I have not seen anything.”
Despite almost N3,000,000 squandered on the futile, ill-executed journey, the hope of getting a new lease of life led Chukwuka to a life of sorrow, regret, and despair.
“I am not doing anything at the moment. I lost all that I had. So, I went back to Lagos to work in a factory. They were paying me N25,000. I stopped the work end of May. As I am talking to you, I am in Onitsha. I came back so I can be closer to my people. Let me see if I will be able to find something tangible to do.”
The complicity of some travel agents in the human trafficking crime and their possible connivance with immigration officials deserve the attention of relevant authorities. According to Chukwuka: “it will be good if the government can be serious about them. They confuse many Nigerian youths just to collect their money and leave them homeless in foreign lands. The agents deceive people with sweet mouth to make us commit our money only for us to find out the ugly reality.
“The first agent who duped me of N1.6 million must have perfected the fake documentation with the connivance of immigration officials. Some of the officials are corrupt. I want Nigerian youths to understand that.
Chukwuka is now helping with the campaign against the penchant for overseas travels, wishing that no one else will fall into the traps of fraudulent travel agents. “There is one close to me here. He wants to travel at all costs, and I was telling him just yesterday. I am not playing an obstacle. But anywhere you are going, if you are not very sure of everything, don’t go.”
“Once they doubt me, I will show them the pictures on my phone which I took when I was inside aeroplane coming back to Nigeria. I tell them countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, India. I mention like seven countries. Don’t go there. Nigeria is better than those countries,” he warned.
Chukwuka’s tale of woes is a bitter representation of the dehumanizing experiences of several Nigerian youths, especially of Igbo extraction, some of whom end up being trafficked. Some could not live to share the sad stories.
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WRITTEN BY ADE OLU