‘I Was forced to sleep with 20 men daily’ — Benue lady exposes Mali sex trade

A survivor of human trafficking has recounted her harrowing ordeal in Mali, alleging that she was forced into prostitution and made to sleep with at least 20 men daily after being lured out of Benue State with promises of a better life abroad.

The young woman, whose identity is being withheld, narrated her experience shortly after returning to Makurdi following her rescue and safe return to Nigeria.

According to her, traffickers recruited her and three other young women in March 2026 with promises of lucrative jobs and financial independence outside the country.

She said the journey began in Benue State and passed through Otukpo, Enugu and Lagos before they were moved through illegal routes across several West African countries into Mali.

The survivor alleged that the traffickers instructed them to pose as sachet water vendors in Lagos before arrangements were made for their movement out of Nigeria.

She further claimed that the syndicate used bush paths to evade immigration authorities and provided them with falsified identity documents bearing altered ages and state origins.

According to her, the promised jobs never existed.

Instead, she said she was handed over to a handler in Mali, who confiscated her phone and travel documents before forcing her into commercial sex work.

“I was forced to sleep with at least 20 men every day. Whenever I questioned instructions or failed to meet expectations, I was beaten and threatened,” she said.

The survivor alleged that victims were subjected to harsh living conditions, surviving on a single meal daily while enduring intimidation, physical assault and exploitation.

She also claimed that some girls were subjected to traditional oath-taking rituals and warned against escaping until they had repaid huge debts imposed by their handlers.

According to her, even after surrendering large sums of money to her traffickers, freedom remained out of reach.

“I gave close to a million CFA francs and I still was not free, so I ran,” she said.

The woman disclosed that her health deteriorated during her captivity, but medical expenses were added to her debt despite deductions already being made from her earnings.

She eventually escaped after her handler allegedly became intoxicated and unknowingly left money in her possession, enabling her to flee from the settlement where she was being held.

The survivor further alleged that many Nigerian girls remain trapped in the area, including some who have become pregnant and lack the means to return home.

She warned young women against offers of easy wealth and overseas jobs, describing such promises as deceptive and dangerous.

The survivor was received in Makurdi by the General Manager of Benue Links Nigeria Limited, Comrade Alexander Fanafa, who facilitated her transportation from Lagos to Benue free of charge.

Fanafa called for intensified efforts to dismantle human trafficking networks operating across Benue and neighbouring countries, stressing the need to protect vulnerable young people from exploitation.

He urged security agencies and relevant authorities to identify and disrupt the routes allegedly used by traffickers, warning that human trafficking continues to threaten the future of many young Nigerians.