Fake job offers lured Nigerians into sex slavery in Côte d’Ivoire, survivors recount

Survivors of human trafficking in Côte d’Ivoire have shared harrowing accounts of how they were lured from Nigeria with promises of lucrative employment, only to be forced into sex work.

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I informed my parents because I believed the offer was genuine. We later realised there were no jobs after we were locked in a room.

The victims, identified as Monica (17), Juliet (18), Rejoice (25), Joy (22), and Monica Tamah (38), described how traffickers exploited their economic desperation. They were transported to the West African nation under false pretenses, with traffickers demanding they repay transportation costs through commercial sex.

Monica, a 17-year-old from Benue State, believed she was going to a bakery job in Abuja. Instead, she was taken through Lagos and then to Côte d’Ivoire, where she and others were locked in a room and told there were no jobs. "When I spoke to my mother, I started crying, and they immediately collected the phone from me," she recalled. "They kept deducting money from the little we earned without explaining why."

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When I spoke to my mother, I started crying, and they immediately collected the phone from me. They kept deducting money from the little we earned without explaining why.

Monica Tamah, 38, traveled to Côte d’Ivoire hoping to support her family and pay for her daughter's education. She spent about six months in captivity, during which she and other victims were allegedly forced to sleep with up to 15 men daily. The traffickers reportedly made about 50,000 CFA francs daily from each victim, while the women received little or nothing.

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When we got there, we discovered there were no jobs. Instead, we were told we had been brought for prostitution and had to repay transportation debts through sex work.

The survivors were rescued in a joint operation involving Nigeria's National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), authorities in Côte d’Ivoire, and the Global Anti-Human Trafficking Organisation (GAHTO). GAHTO founder Prosper Michael stated the operation followed months of exploitation and abuse. The organization urged Nigerians to verify overseas job offers through appropriate government agencies.

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They made about 50,000 CFA francs every day from us, but we received little or nothing. I remained there for about six months before I was rescued.