Human trafficking on the rise – Two girls saved from prostitution in Ghana narrate their ordeal
Two
young girls who were approached by a suspected unidentified female
trafficker at Ekpoma in Edo state in Nigeria to seek greener pastures as
workers in a restaurant in Ivory Coast ended up in Togo to work as
prostitutes. The girls were to pay the woman who never told them her
real names but was called “Madam Excellent" the sum of 800,000 cefas
while they prostitute. Although, these girls, Franca Akhimen, 25 and
Ehinon Onofua, 23 were lucky enough to summon courage and escaped from
what would have been the beginning of life on the wild and dangerous
side which they might never have been able to come out of, if luck had
not been on their side. In an interview with Encomium Weekly, Franca and
Ehinon, who disclosed they have learnt their lessons in a hard way,
gave a graphic account of how they were deceived and almost ended up as
prostitutes…
Can you tell us what happened and how you ended up in Togo to prostitute?
Franca:
It was in Epkoma in Edo state where I met one lady… I was actually
going to church when I met her and she approached me and said she was
looking for girls that can work in her restaurant in Ivory Coast. So,
when I got home I told Ehinon and we arranged to meet her and she told
us what the plan was and when we will be leaving Nigeria for Ivory
Coast. So, on February 2, we left Edo for Lagos, had a stop at Mile 2,
and she told us that was where the car that will take us to Ivory Coast
will pick us. So, at exactly 9.30pm, the car came for us and we all
boarded that evening. When we got to Togo, I noticed that we were not
going to proceed with our journey, so I asked the woman why are we here,
you said we were going to Ivory Coast not Togo, and she told me to keep
quiet, that whatever she asked me to do I should just do it without
complaining. Later, she went out to buy clothes and came back with some
skimpy and short dresses and gave them to us to wear. I asked why such
dresses, because they don’t look like clothes that are worn by a
waitress or a person selling food. Again she told me to keep quiet and
just do whatever she asked me to do, adding that we were brought to Togo
for prostitution and in return we get to pay her 800,000 cefas each.
So, I told my sister, we can’t do this kind of job, we have to find a
way to escape from her than to stay here. So, we left without even
carrying our bags in order not to arouse any suspicion of us running
away. And as we were trying to escape, we met a guy, after listening to
our story, he told us he doesn’t know anybody in Togo, because he is
from Ghana and can help us get there so that we can get the help we
needed. When we got to Ghana, he took us to Christ Embassy Church where
we met with two guys and one of them gave us some money which is worth
like N700,000 each and we left with the guy that brought us from Togo to
lodge in a hotel, because it was getting late and there was nowhere to
sleep. He, however, promised us that in the morning he will take us to
some pastors so they can help us with transport fare back to Nigeria.
But to our surprise in the morning while I was taking my bath, the guy
took off with the money we were given at the Christ Embassy Church. So,
we approached the manager of the hotel and told him our predicament, and
he called a taxi, paid the driver and asked him to take us to the
Nigerian Embassy and also gave us some money. But unfortunately, when we
got to the embassy we were told that there was no money to give to us
to return to Nigeria, but God so good one of the workers there, asked us
to come with him to his house since it was on a Friday and we had no
where to stay, but told us that if the embassy does not help us by
Monday, he won’t take us back to his house and we have to find help
somewhere else…
And did he take advantage of you girls while you were in his house?
Franca:
Not at all, he really took care of us and only God can repay him for
his kindness. And when we got to the embassy on Monday, there was still
no hope for us until we met Mr. Moses Owaro, President of the All
Nigerian Community Ghana, who took us back to the embassy with a letter
explaining our situation to them, and still no help was forth coming due
to financial constrain, and eventually had to fund our trip back to
Nigeria with the help of Chief Christopher Obareki, a member of the
board of trustees of ANC-GH with the sum of 800ghc to buy our tickets
back to Lagos and also gave us N6,000 for our trip from Lagos to Edo
state.
Did your families know you were embarking on such mission?
Ehinon:
Hmmmm, we didn’t tell our parents because we wanted to surprise them by
going to Ivory Coast to work and come back home with lots of money to
help us start our businesses, because we just finished learning fashion
and design, so we were hoping when we make money, we can come back to
Nigeria and buy sewing machines and open our own place and that was a
big mistake on our part. But Mr Moses Owaro spoke with my brother in
Nigeria to explain the situation of things. So, currently our families
are aware that we are in Ghana and will be returning home soon.
How were you able to cross the boarder without the authorities suspecting any foul play?
Ehinon:
Anytime we got to the boarder, we were told to come down from the car
and cross over to the other side on foot. And what the woman kept
telling the immigration officers and other security personnel was that
we were going to the next country to buy goods to sell. They told us not
to show any sign of fear or fidget in front of the officers.
So, how did you feel when you realized that you are being tricked into prostitution instead of working in a restaurant?
Franca:
We felt bad, and we just wanted to leave that place even when we had no
place to go, rather than sleeping with different men while she takes
all the money.
So, what is your advice for young girls like you who are looking for fast means to get rich?
Ehinon:
My advice is that, if anybody approaches them and promises to take them
somewhere for greener pastures, they should not go, find out if indeed
its legitimate. Please confirm before you travel with any stranger that
offers you job in foreign land, please don’t go, especially the girls.
I’m appealing to you, because you will end up in prostitution and that
was the mistake we made. We need to be patient, though there can be
delay in reaching our goals but with God it will surely happen.
Franca:
You know it is not everybody that tells their parents their plans,
especially when it is this kind of travel. They should please not hide
anything from their parents.
Also speaking on the issue, the
President of the All Nigerian Community-Ghana, Moses Owaro called on
parents and guardians to be more vigilant about strangers who offers, to
take their children abroad for better opportunity, while security
personnel should be extra vigilant at points of entry, be it at the
boarder or at the airports as young girls like these are smuggled out
every now and then. Which is one of the reasons why the All Nigerian
Community-Ghana in partnership with Ghana Immigration and other security
agencies will be mounting a post at points of entry into Ghana most
especially to enable us have the necessary information about Nigerians
that are coming into Ghana and what they are coming to do.
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