Wildlife Trafficker Arrested In Nigeria Smuggling Over 300 Exotic Bird Heads & Gorilla Parts

A shocking discovery was recently made during routine baggage inspections at the Mfun/Ekok Joint Border Station in Cross River State, which links Nigeria and Cameroon. The Area Controller of Nigeria Customs, Chief Ogbonna, and his team, intercepted a traveler entering Nigeria from Cameroon, uncovering an illegal wildlife trafficking operation.

The traveler, identified as Abubakar, was found smuggling an alarming assortment of wildlife parts, including “213 parrot skulls, 29 packs of parrot feathers, six eagle skulls, one pack of eagle feathers, 128 African hornbill skulls, two gorilla skulls, and four gorilla hands and feet,” according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

The WCS was called upon to help identify the wildlife species and confirmed that the trade of gorillas, parrots, hornbills, and eagles is prohibited by both Nigerian law and international law.

“This arrest underscores the need for stronger enforcement and harsher penalties for wildlife crimes to act as a more effective deterrent. WCS provides ongoing support to the Customs Service to help tackle illegal wildlife trade in Nigeria. Since 2020, WCS has trained more than 100 Customs staff across Nigeria to raise awareness of the threat due to the illegal wildlife trade. Working with Customs, WCS has also provided 10 secure storage facilities across the country for the storage of seized wildlife items, ensuring proper handling of confiscated materials,” according to a statement by the WCS.

In a press briefing in Calabar, Nigeria, Comptroller Ogbonna emphasized the severity of the violations, pointing out that these seized wildlife parts breached both international laws and the NCS Act 2023, which strictly prohibits the trade of endangered species without the necessary permits. “On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, during routine baggage inspections at the Mfun/Ekok Joint Border Station, my officers intercepted a traveler entering Nigeria from Cameroon,” Ogbonna stated, highlighting the determined and proactive efforts of his customs team.

Customs Chief Ogbonna further highlighted the broader implications of the illegal wildlife trade, emphasizing that it “threatens Nigeria’s biodiversity and contributes to crime, economic instability, and public safety risks.”

“We commend the Cross River Command of the Nigeria Customs Service for this bold action and urge the public to stand firm against the illegal wildlife trade. Every seized item represents a tragic loss for nature, but with collective efforts, we can protect our incredible wildlife from extinction,” said WCS.

This recent wildlife trafficking arrest highlights the urgent need for continued vigilance and collaboration in the fight against this illicit trade. Only by joining forces can the authorities, conservationists, and the public make significant strides in safeguarding our natural world and ensuring the protection of vulnerable and endangered species for future generations to come.

By Katie Cleary, WAN

Nigerian officials seize cocaine worth almost $3 million at Lagos airport

Nigerian officials seized 19.4 kg (42.77 pounds) of cocaine worth 4.66 billion naira ($2.93 million) from a passenger who arrived at Lagos airport on a flight from Ethiopia, its anti-drug agency said on Tuesday.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said it arrested a 48-year Nigerian businessman, who had been convicted of trafficking last year but paid a fine to avoid jail time, on Sept. 18. He was allegedly carrying 817 wraps of cocaine.

Nigeria, Africa's most populous country with over 200 million people, has in recent years gone from being a transit point for gangs moving drugs between South America and Europe to a full-blown consumer and distributor.

"The agency will continue to work to disrupt the activities of drug cartels operating in the country," NDLEA chief Mohammed Buba Marwa said in a statement. 

By Camillus Eboh, Reuters

Nigeria Arrests Man for Smuggling 88 Drug Wraps in Stomach

Nigerian authorities arrested a man attempting to smuggle 88 wraps of cocaine, weighing 1.7 kilograms, in his stomach from Abuja, the Nigerian capital, to Vietnam.

Paul Mbadugha, a Vietnam-bound businessman, was stopped at Abuja airport’s boarding gate after a body scan revealed he had ingested drugs, Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) stated Sunday.

While under observation, Mbadugha reportedly excreted the cocaine pellets, claiming they were handed to him by a friend in Lagos’ Isolo district.

Mbadugha claimed that his friend persuaded him to swallow the drug wraps, promising a payout of $2,000 in return.

Dr. Enyinna Omoke, MD, an Abuja-based doctor who witnessed the incident, told OCCRP that cocaine is among the most frequently trafficked drugs using this method—swallowing or inserting packages into body cavities.

“Internally smuggling drugs can hyperstimulate the central nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord, leading to severe consequences such as brain damage, respiratory failure, and even death,” he explained.

The gastrointestinal tract, from mouth to anus, as well as the vagina and ears, are the most common areas used for internal drug concealment. Individuals who transport drugs this way are often caught due to suspicious behavior, intoxication, or leakage from the drug packets inside their bodies.

Last year, the NDLEA apprehended a notorious drug kingpin known for recruiting young Nigerians to smuggle cocaine into Europe. He was caught in the act of arranging for a courier to swallow 93 cocaine pellets destined for distribution in Italy.

By Nneoma Omeje, OCCRP

Nigeria unveils first national protection plan for endangered elephants

Nigeria has launched the country's first National Elephant Action Plan. Authorities say the measure is designed to protect the small and rapidly declining population of elephants in the country.

Human-caused activities, including poaching, have forced Nigerian elephants to the verge of extinction. The plan aims to save the remaining elephants by reducing illegal killings and trade, maintaining elephant habitats, creating public awareness and promoting community-led vigilance.

Iziaq Adekunle Salako, Nigeria's minister of state for environment, said the National Elephant Action Plan will be a comprehensive approach to ensure the protection of wildlife.

"What we're seeing today is an upscaling of the commitment of Nigeria to ensure that our natural resources are protected and preserved,” Salako said. “We're also focusing on the host communities, because these elephants live around some people. We're going to see a situation where people can see alternative livelihoods from preservation of our elephants."

Over the last decade, Nigeria has emerged as a key source, transit and destination country for illegal wildlife trade.

Elephant ivories and pangolin scales are some of the most trafficked items. The Elephant Protection Initiative Foundation said Nigeria accounts for nearly a quarter of the world's seized ivory.

As a result, Nigeria's elephant population — about 300 to 400 animals — is a fourth of the population size three decades ago.

Authorities say that along with the threats from poachers and habitat destruction, human-elephant conflict due to the animals’ invasion of farms is leading to more elephant killings.

Andrew Dunn, country director of the Wildlife Conservation Society, is author of the National Elephant Action Plan. He said the plan has eight main objectives ranging from law enforcement to conservation education to sustainable livelihoods.

"It's quite a comprehensive document,” he said. “There are a lot of actions in there, including the importance of reducing conflicts between farmers and elephants. That's a serious problem.

“Nigeria is unthinkable without elephants,” he added. “It's time we came together and protect the last of our elephants. It would be criminal, sad and catastrophic if we lose them."

In 2010, all 36 African elephant range states committed to developing measures to ensure a secure future for the continent’s elephants.

And in April, Nigeria and Cameroon agreed to a wildlife protection partnership to tackle cross-border wildlife crimes.

As the world marked World Elephant Day on August 12 to raise awareness about the numerous threats elephants face, Nigerian authorities say the launch of the National Elephant Action Plan is a boost to the pact.

By Timothy Obiezu, VOA 

Related story: Video - Nigeria destroys elephant tusks

Senate in Nigeria proposes death penalty for drug trafficking

Nigeria's Senate on Thursday proposed significantly toughening penalties for drug trafficking, making the death penalty the new maximum sentence through a law amendment.

The amendment, which is not yet law, replaces life imprisonment, which was previously the harshest punishment.

Nigeria, Africa's most populous country of more than 200 million people, has in recent years gone from being a transit point for illegal drugs to a full-blown producer, consumer and distributor.

Opioid abuse, especially tramadol and cough syrups containing codeine, has been widespread throughout Nigeria, according to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, which banned production and import of codeine cough syrup in 2018.

While cannabis is cultivated locally, cocaine, methamphetamine and other narcotics are trafficked through the country alongside opioids to feed a growing addiction problem.

The legislation stemmed from a report by the Senate committees on judiciary, human rights and legal matters, and drugs and narcotics, which Senator Mohammed Monguno presented during Thursday's plenary session.

Supporters argued the threat of execution would serve as a stronger deterrent to drug traffickers than life imprisonment.

Lawmakers who opposed the measure expressed concerns about the irreversible nature of the death penalty and the possibility of wrongful convictions.

The House of Representatives earlier passed the bill but without a death penalty provision. Five select members of the Senate and House will need to harmonize the two versions before it goes to the president.

By Camillus Eboh, Reuters 

Related story: Video - Opioid crisis in Nigeria

 

Video - Nigeria destroys elephant tusks

Wildlife officials in Abuja Nigeria on Tuesday destroyed 2.5 tons of elephant tusks valued at 11.2 million dollars. Officials say the powder will be used to create a monument symbolizing the importance of elephants in the ecosystem.

CGTN

Related story: Nigeria destroys record $11.2 million in seized elephant tusks

China jails gang for smuggling pangolin scales from Nigeria

 

Video - Nigeria enforces measures to curb wildlife trafficking

The West African country is showing signs of winning its battle against wildlife trafficking. Authorities have seized and burned a huge collection of illegal wildlife products, including pangolin scales and rare animal skins, worth over 1 million U.S. dollars.

CGTN

Related story: Nigeria becomes staging ground for illegal pangolin trade

25,000 trafficked women, girls from Nigeria trapped in Malian mines

Virtually all states in Nigeria face high human trafficking and no fewer than 25,000 Nigerian women and girls are trapped in the mining areas of Mali, where they are sexually exploited

This was revealed by experts at a three-day media training workshop on “Countering Trafficking In Persons, (CTIP),” organised by Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Child Labour (NACTAL) in collaboration with USAID for journalists from Cross River and seven other states of the federation and Abuja.

Held in Benin, Edo State, the workshop ended on Wednesday.

National President of NACTAL, Abdulganiyu Abubakar, in his remarks at the workshop, said as result of the situation, some countries discriminate against Nigeria when they travel out.

He charged the media to embark on campaigns to tackle issues of trafficking.
Similarly, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) confirmed the high level trafficking of humans in the country, revealing that it has, till date, rescued 17, 753 victims in the country.

The Zonal Commander of NAPTIP, Benin Zonal Command, Mr. Nduka Nwanwanne, stated that out of the figure, 13,626 are female, while 4,727 are males.

He said: “No fewer than 25,000 Nigerian women and girls are trapped living in shanties in the mining areas in Mali, where they are sexually exploited.”

According to her, prostitution is not human trafficking but the exploitation in prostitution is human trafficking. He described Nigeria as transit and destination on human trafficking, saying it is endemic in Edo and Delta states and all parts of the country.

Human trafficking, according to him, is worth 150 billion dollars in global criminal enterprise and it is the second largest in trans national organised crime after drug trafficking.

One of NACTAL’s resource persons, Nasiru Muazu Isa, said trafficking on humans is huge business and is so sophisticated to the extent that they track their victims with electronic gadgets to know where they are and where they go to.

The Project Manager, NACTAL, Mr. Samuel Olayemi, listed the objectives of the workshop to include: increasing knowledge of media practitioners on CTIP, intensifying media campaigns, strengthening capacity of media practitioners and improving knowledge of participants in developing relevant programmes.

By Anietie Akpan, The Guardian

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Nigeria seizes donkey penises to be smuggled to Hong Kong

Nigerian officials have seized thousands of donkey penises that were about to be exported to Hong Kong, an official said on Thursday.

Sacks of the donkey male genitals were seized at the international airport in Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city, Sambo Dangaladima, the Nigeria Customs Service area commander, told reporters.

The consignment was “falsely declared … as cow male genitals (but) after due examination, my export officers discovered they were donkey male genitals,” said Dangaladima. A total of 16 sacks of the genitals were seized, he said.

An investigation has been launched to find out more information about the seized items, the customs service said.

Although the seizure of donkey genitals meant for export from Nigeria is rare, donkey skins are known to be frequently exported or smuggled out of the country. In July, the Nigerian customs seized $116,000 worth of donkey skins being smuggled into the country from neighboring Niger.

Nigeria is trying to curb the export of donkey skins which has drastically diminished the country’s population of the work animals, particularly in the north. Nigerian senators in 2021 proposed to ban the killing of donkeys and the export of their skins.

The lawmakers said such a ban on killing donkeys would further curb the export of donkey skins and genitals — which Nigeria prohibits — to countries like China where the skins are used in popular traditional medicines. That proposed legislation has not yet been passed into law.

“The major beneficiary in this trade is the donkey (skin) merchants in China,” Muhammad Datti, one of the federal lawmakers supporting the proposed ban, has said. “This animal is facing extinction (in Nigeria) and it is an animal you cannot breed in large numbers because of the very low rate of fertility.”

By Chinedu Asadu

AP

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Video - Customs in Nigeria seize haul of rare pangolin scales, ivory

The Nigeria Customs Service has seized a huge haul of rare pangolin scales and ivory that were to be smuggled out of the country. The seizure was made in the Nigerian commercial capital of Lagos last month but the Customs Service has only just revealed it.

26 people rescued in human trafficking bust in south Nigeria

At least 26 persons including 19 children have been rescued from trafficking during a law enforcement operation in Nigeria’s southern state of Edo, authorities said on Tuesday.

In a statement, Kontongs Bello, a police spokesperson in Edo, said the victims comprise 19 children, one teenager and six women who were trafficked from the southeast states of Ebonyi, Imo, Abia, Anambra and Akwa Ibom.

He said they were heading toward Evbuotubu in Ekenwan road axis of Benin city before rescue came their way.

According to the police spokesman, the women were lured from their various home states by a woman named “Jennifer”, noting that the suspect is now on the run.

“They were lured in a guise that Edo state government is giving financial support to single mothers with newborn babies especially twins,” he said.

“The women said they were forced to go for street begging for their mistress Jennifer. They further stated that only peanut is given to them to take care of their children,” he said.

By David Ochieng Mbewa

CGTN

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China jails gang for smuggling pangolin scales from Nigeria

A court in China has jailed 17 people for smuggling pangolin scales worth US$28 million from Nigeria to China.

The creature is the world’s most trafficked mammal in the world and its scales are used for medical reasons in Asia despite there being no evidence they can cure ailments.

The gang was convicted of importing 23 tonnes of scales between 2018 and 2019, the Intermediate People’s Court in the eastern city of Wenzhou said on Tuesday.

Two men identified as “masterminds behind the racket” were sentenced to between 13 and 14 years in prison.

The remaining others were given jail terms ranging from 15 months to 12 years.

The scales were brought in on, among other things, a consignment “hidden in ginger slices”, the court said.
 

Coronavirus link?

China removed pangolin body parts from its official list of traditional medicines in June and raised the animal’s protected status to the country’s highest level due to its dwindling numbers.

Pangolin scales are traditionally used in China for a range of illnesses, including treating blood clots and aiding lactation.

But there is no scientific evidence that they have any medicinal value.

There are some studies that also suggest that the scally creature may have been the intermediate host that transmitted the coronavirus to humans when it first emerged at a market in the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019.

China has since banned the sale of wild animals for food in such markets.

China has cracked down on animal smuggling. In December, the country said it jailed a network accused of running its biggest-ever ivory smuggling ring, which moved elephant tusks worth millions of dollars from West Africa into the mainland’s vast domestic market.

AFP

The story behind ‘Oloture,’ Nigeria’s Netflix sex-trafficking drama

Clad soberly in a checkered knee-length dress, Tobore Ovuorie hardly seems as if she once walked the streets of Lagos in a revealing outfit and high heels.

A freelance reporter with a burning desire to uncover the truth about a sordid backstreet trade, Ovuorie dressed as streetwalker to infiltrate a prostitution ring.

She took on the dangerous mission after a friend left for Europe, became a sex worker and died, leaving Ovuorie shocked and beset with questions.

Today, Ovuorie's remarkable story has been turned into a hit Netflix film, Oloture, which has shone a bright light on one of Nigeria's darkest trades.

"I needed to do justice, to know the truth. I wanted to know the process, the back story about these ladies," the 39-year-old reporter told AFP.

By dressing up, she sought to gain the prostitutes' trust - the first step to introducing her to a "madam," a pimp.

After eight months working undercover in 2013, Tobore Ovuorie emerged with a terrifying account about the victims of sex trafficking.

Some were sent to Europe, where they were coerced into becoming sex workers. Others were forced to participate in orgies organized by local politicians. Some became victims of organ trafficking for ritual crimes.

She published her story in 2014 in the Nigerian newspaper Premium Times and Dutch investigative magazine, Zam Chronicles, inspiring a production company in Nigeria to adapt it for the screen.

Released in October on Netflix, the story has been widely watched and applauded in its home country, Africa's most populous market.

"Sometimes investigative journalists in search of the story become the story," director Kenneth Gyang told AFP.

But in this case, the reporter was also "the torch that led us into the lives" of victims, he said.

Disillusion

Sex trafficking is rife in Nigeria, in particular in southern Benin City, a recruiting ground for criminal gangs who smuggle women to Europe.

How many are trafficked is unknown but in Italy, authorities say that between 10,000 and 30,000 Nigerians are prostitutes.

Several thousand others are stuck in Libya or other African countries, often exploited by criminals who make them believe they will one day reach Europe.

In the film, a journalist named Oloture, playing the part of Ovuorie during her investigation, heads to neighboring Benin with a dozen other girls.

From there, their "madam" promises they will depart to Europe in exchange for money (up to $85,000) that they will have to repay once they arrive in Italy.

Very quickly, the journey turns sour.

Instead of heading to the country's border, their minibus stops in a gloomy training camp on the outskirts of Lagos.

There, the girls are roughed up and divided into two groups: "street" prostitutes and "special" prostitutes reserved for wealthier clients.

On screen, the most gripping character is Linda, a young uneducated woman from a poor rural background, who becomes friends with Oloture.

Linda "represents many of those young ladies and how they get in disillusion" said Ovuorie, who came across such a character during her investigation.

For the director, it is exciting that the film is a success in Nigeria.

"We have to see how to make this film available in remote places for young vulnerable women who might be susceptible to be trafficked to Europe," said Gyang.

Emotional toll

On social media, the movie - and its ending - have triggered passionate debate.

"For most of these ladies there is never any light at the end of the tunnel," said Gyang, "so why would you try to make a film that would end on a happy note?"

Ovuorie said that what she saw and experienced during her investigation still haunts her - she is trying to find the women she was meant to go to Europe with, and tell their stories.

Her work has inflicted a heavy emotional cost, she said.

"I'm a shadow of myself, I try to smile, to look bright, but most of the time it's been just me fighting to hold onto life."

AFP 

Related story: New Nollywood film shines a light on human trafficking in Nigeria

Video - Nigerian women trafficked to Europe for prostitution at 'crisis level'

71 Nigerian girls crying for help in viral video in Lebanon arrive Abuja

Seventy-one young Nigerian girls trafficked to Lebanon and seen in a video that had gone viral where they were crying for help had been rescued and arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, early Monday.

Mr Bitrus Samuel, the Head of NEMA Abuja Operation Office, disclosed this to Newsmen. He said that the girls were the second batch of the more than 150 Nigerian girls who were trafficked to Lebanon in search of greener pastures.

Early in the month, 94 victims that constituted the first batch were received at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. Samuel said that the latest victims would be going from the airport to the hotel where the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) would profile their records. The agency would quarantine the girls as a precaution against coronavirus pandemic.

Also, the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Ferdinand Nwonye, said that the rescue came after video footage of the stranded Nigerians appealing to the Federal Government and well-meaning Nigerians to come to their aid went viral on the Internet. The spokesman said the ministry had several discussions with Mr Houssam Diab, the Ambassador of Lebanon to Nigeria before the Lebanese Government agreed to release the girls to the Federal Government.

He said that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, was very sad when he saw the video footage. He had to summon the Lebanese Ambassador, and both leaders had a series of engagements that led to the release of the girls.

Nwonye said that following the discussions between the two leaders, the Lebanese community in Nigeria through the facilitation of the Nigerian mission in Beirut chartered a flight, paid the flight tickets for these girls to return to Nigeria. NAN reports that various government officials from NAPTIP, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Nigeria in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) respectively were on ground at the airport to receive them. Also, Mr Akinloye Akinsola, the representative of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), said that some Nigerians employed as domestic workers in Lebanon had complained of maltreatment from their Lebanese employers.

He said that sequel to the complaints; the Lebanese Ambassador to Nigeria had suspended the issuance of working visas to Nigerians seeking to do domestic work in Lebanon. He said the suspension had become imperative so as to stem the tide of the maltreatment. Akinsola said that the commission had started the procedure for proper harmonisation in line with best practices relating to orderly migration. He said that the discussion was with the Ministry of Labour and Employment and the House of Representatives’ Chairman on the Diaspora, Mrs Tolulope Akande-Shodipe.

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Video - Nigeria locking up survivors of human trafficking

Despite attempts by the Nigerian government to combat human trafficking and provide support for those that survived being trafficked, care for victims is still severely lacking, a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) says.

According to the report, the Nigerian government is illegally detaining survivors of human trafficking, prohibiting the often traumatised women from recovering from the experiences they went through.

"The Nigerian authorities are actually detaining trafficking survivors in shelters, not allowing them to leave at will, in violation of Nigeria’s international legal obligations," the New York-based rights body said.

"The detentions overwhelmingly affect women and girls, and put their recovery and well-being at risk."

The report is based on interviews with 76 survivors, 20 of them girls between the ages 8 and 17, who either were trafficked out of Nigeria and later returned, or were trafficked into Nigeria.

They were often promised well-paying jobs as domestic workers, hairdressers, or hotel staff but were then tricked and trapped in exploitation and forced to pay back a huge "debt" for their travel.

Often, the people who trafficked them were people they knew personally.

"My aunt brought me here. She said she will help me. When I got here, she said I had to work before the apprenticeship," one of the survivors told HRW.

"She took me somewhere to work as a house girl…. I was mistreated. She did not give me food; I washed cars, cleaned the house and the compound," the 14-year-old, who is one of several victims quoted in the report, said.

"My aunt used to collect the money. Their kids were too hostile to me. I decided to leave."

'Closed shelters'

Over the last couple of years, the Nigerian government has introduced several anti-trafficking laws and started the the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), which runs shelters for trafficking survivors.

However, those shelters are severely lacking, HRW said.

"Some survivors in the NAPTIP shelters complained about not being able to receive visitors or contact their families, not having clear information about when they would reunite with their families, monotonous daily schedules, or boredom from doing nothing," the report states.

"Those referred by NAPTIP to private shelters were unhappy about poor conditions and services, including inadequate food, lack of soap or body lotion, lack of medical and psychosocial care, and lack of job training," it added.

The women often suffer from depression, anxiety, insomnia, flashbacks, aches and pains, and other physical ailments as a result of their ordeal.

Despite attempts by the Nigerian government to help them reintegrate, the so-called "closed shelters" do not provide enough support for the women to reintegrate into Nigerian society, HRW said.

"Women and girls trafficked in and outside Nigeria have suffered unspeakable abuses at the hands of traffickers, but have received inadequate medical, counseling, and financial support to reintegrate into society" senior women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch Agnes Odhiambo said.

"We were shocked to find traumatised survivors locked behind gates, unable to communicate with their families, for months on end, in government-run facilities." 


HRW has called on Nigeria to better listen to the experiences of survivors and offer more room for community services, health workers and other organisations to play in a role in the recovery of the women.

"Nigerian authorities are struggling with a crisis of trafficking, and working under challenging circumstances, but they can do a better job by listening to what survivors have to say about their own needs," Odhiambo said.

"To end trafficking and break cycles of exploitation and suffering, survivors need the government to help them heal from the trauma of trafficking and earn a decent living in Nigeria."

Al Jazeera

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Video - Nigeria struggles to rescue 20,000 girls from Mali sex trade

Nigeria is struggling to bring home an estimated 20,000 girls trapped in Mali. The victims of the sex trade are kept in appalling conditions. Officials say collusion between law enforcement agents and traffickers is hampering the rescue efforts.

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20,000 Nigerian girls trafficked to Mali for prostitution

Gang charged with sex trafficking girls from Nigeria arrested in Italy

Sicilian authorities have made a series of arrests after a suspected sex trafficking ring was believed to have forced at least 15 Nigerian girls into prostitution in Italy.

Among those arrested were two Nigerian women, Rita Ihama, 38, and Monica Onaigfohe, aged 20, who police believe organised the trafficking of the women from Libya to Italy. An Italian national, Giovanni Buscemi, was also arrested on suspicion of helping facilitate the trafficking and exploitation of the girls.

Prosecutors believe the group of young women were lured from Nigeria with the promise of work in Italy. They say before they left their homes they were made to undergo traditional oath-taking ceremonies involving complicated and frightening rituals. The use of “juju” ceremonies in the trafficking of women from Nigeria to Europe are widespread and have been found to have a profound psychological impact on victims.

“On arrival in Italy, the women [say they] were forced into prostitution and told they must pay back the cost of their travel to Italy,” said Giovannella Scaminaci, deputy chief prosecutor in Messina, who led the operation. She said that sex trafficking operations between Nigeria, Libya and Italy are highly organised and continue despite recent attempts to stem the flow of migration from north Africa to Europe.

“There is an industry in the exploitation of girls from the age of 14 who have all become terrorised and controlled through the use of these juju ceremonies,” she says.

Yesterday, Sicilian prosecutors in Catania also arrested 19 Nigerians suspected of belonging to the Supreme Vikings Confraternity, an organised crime group operational across Sicily. The men are accused of drug smuggling and the rape and sexual assault of Nigerian women in Cara di Mineo, one of Italy’s largest reception centres for refugees. Prosecutors told the Guardian that they were considering the possibility that the men arrested were raping women at the centre “with the aim of subjugating them and preparing them for prostitution’’.

About 16,000 Nigerian women arrived in Italy from Libya between 2016-2017. According to the UN’s International Office for Migration (IOM) more than 80% of them were victims of trafficking, destined for a life of forced prostitution on street corners and in brothels across Italy and Europe.

In recent weeks hundreds of people have been removed from reception centres across Italy as part of the populist government’s hardline immigration measures.

The moves come as a part of a concerted push to implement the “Salvini decree” – named after Italy’s interior minister Matteo Salvini. It abolishes humanitarian protection for those not eligible for refugee status, and was passed by the Italian government last year.
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As a result hundreds of asylum seekers are now at risk of homelessness. NGOs and aid agencies, including the Red Cross, have warned that victims of sex trafficking are among those evicted.

“If this is true then the decree has been misinterpreted by local authorities,” says Scaminaci. “Nigerian women victims of sex trafficking must always be granted a humanitarian permit or a refugee status because of the consequences they could face if deported back in Nigeria.”

Last December, Blessing, a 31-year-old Nigerian woman who was trafficked into prostitution in Italy, said she had been removed from a reception centre in Isola di Capo Rizzuto, in Calabria.

“When the police came to tell us that we couldn’t stay there any more, I couldn’t believe my ears,” she said. “They took all of our belongings and escorted us out. There was a young girl in our group. This is outrageous. I have a legal permit to stay. And soon I may not have a roof over my head. I’m really frightened.”

Father Enzo Volpe, a Salesian priest in Palermo who has been providing assistance to Nigerian women for seven years, says that the clearing of reception centres is likely to increase the risk of further trafficking and exploitation.

“Leaving these girls in the street, victims of sex trafficking, is not only inhumane, it also means facilitating the work of criminal organisations,” he said. “With no protection, these girls risk becoming easy prey.”

The Guardian

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The illegal sex trafficking trail between Nigeria and Europe

Video - Nigerian women trafficked to Europe for prostitution at 'crisis level' 
 

20,000 Nigerian girls trafficked to Mali for prostitution

Nigeria's anti-trafficking agency says it has received concrete intelligence that around 20,000 Nigerian girls have been forced into prostitution in Mali.

Many of the girls are working in hotels and nightclubs after being sold to prostitution rings by human traffickers, according to a fact-finding mission carried out by the agency in collaboration with Malian authorities in December.

NAPTIP's Arinze Osakwe told CNN most of the girls said they were lured by human traffickers who promised them employment in Malaysia.

"The new trend is that they told them they were taking them to Malaysia and they found themselves in Mali. They told them they would be working in five-star restaurants where they would be paid $700 per month," Osakwe, who was part of an earlier NAPTIP rescue mission, said.

Some of the girls had been sold as sex slaves in gold mining camps in northern parts of Mali, he said.
Officials from the agency under Operation Timbuktu rescued 104 Nigerian girls from three brothels in Bamako, Mali's capital in 2011.

They were forced to become sex workers in mining communities in northern Mali.

"We brought back 104 girls just from three ramshackle brothels, and those were the ones that were even willing to come. They were mostly between the age of 13 and 25, and they had been trapped in the country for many years," Osakwe said.

"Since then, we have been working with local authorities and receiving reports from the Nigerian embassy in Bamako that the number of Nigerian girls trafficked to Mali has spiked tremendously," he said.

The agency said it is working with Malian authorities, the International Organization for Migration and National Emergency Management Agency to send the girls back to Nigeria.
Every year, tens of thousands of Nigerians are trafficked illegally to destinations abroad especially Europe.

Around 97 percent of victims are women, and 77 percent have been sexually exploited by their traffickers, according to IOM estimates.

CNN 

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Nigerian Human traffickers operating at 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia

Weeks before the 2018 FIFA World Cup was due to kick off in Russia, a woman met Blessing and Mfon at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in the southern Nigeria city of Uyo. The two young sisters had gone there to watch Nigeria play Spain’s Atletico Madrid in a warmup match ahead of the global soccer fiesta in which this West African nation is proud to participate, and the woman, in her 40s, seemed to be a devoted fan.

“We sat beside her during the match, and we were all analyzing the performance of the [Nigerian] team together,” Blessing, who is 19 and the older of the two siblings, told The Daily Beast. “After the match, she asked us if we would like to go watch the World Cup in Russia and work there after the tournament.”

Russia is open to foreigners with just a single match ticket and a FAN ID, which is available online to confirmed ticket holders. Once you’re in, you can stay legally until July 25, which is 10 days after the end of the competition.

While this is good news for soccer fans visiting the country, it is equally an opportunity for traffickers to do big business.

Blessing and Mfon were told their travel to Russia would be taken care of and that they would get jobs in Moscow as social workers for a nongovernmental organization dealing with traumatized athletes once the World Cup was over. The girls were told it would take about six months to pay back the cost of the journey to Russia, put at $20,000 each, after which they could keep all the money they made.

“We took her to our parents, and she told them the same thing,” Blessing said. “She said she had slots for 20 Nigerian girls and was looking to take girls from all regions of Nigeria with a passion for sports.”

No one suspected the woman was a human trafficker because she showed documents appearing to link her to a number of humanitarian organizations in Russia, and she hailed from the same wider community as the family of Blessing and Mfon, which gave the parents of the girls the impression that she wouldn’t hurt her kindred.

Daily Beast