A 22-year-old woman from Taraba State, trafficked to Côte d’Ivoire for sexual exploitation, has been rescued and repatriated by the state government.
The State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, which spearheaded the rescue operation, is warning parents and guardians about the dangers of sending young people away on unverified promises of jobs and a better life.
Twenty-two-year-old Blessing Danjuma, from Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba State, came to public attention two weeks ago after a video showing her stranded in Côte d’Ivoire went viral.
Blessing says her journey began while she was staying with a relative in Benin, Edo State.
She was promised a housekeeping job in the West African country.
But on arrival in a remote community in Côte d’Ivoire, she says she discovered that the job she had been promised was prostitution.
After three weeks, Blessing says she escaped with the help of some people and made her way to Abidjan.
There, she met someone who recorded and posted a video of her online, appealing for help to return her to Nigeria.
The video caught the attention of the Taraba State Government.
Working with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, and other relevant authorities, the state facilitated her return to Nigeria.
Taraba State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mary Sinjen, says the case is another warning about the risks facing women and young people seeking opportunities through unverified channels.
The commissioner is urging parents, guardians and young people to verify job offers and travel arrangements before leaving home.
She says anyone found to have participated in trafficking, including family members, will face the law.
Blessing Danjuma made it home.
Her experience highlights the risks faced by other young Nigerians lured abroad by promises of work that turn out to be something very different.
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Editor..Ada Ononye
