The police said on Friday that its preliminary investigation about 11 suspected sex workers it arrested indicated they were trafficked and subjected to spiritual initiation to ensure compliance.
“The sex workers are usually brought in by other experienced worker who would put them through spiritual initiation of either taking an oath or taking their pictures to a shrine to swear that they will pay all the expenses spent on their travel, failure of which can lead to madness or even death,” the police said on Friday. Read more
It cited the case of a widow going by the name Happiness who reportedly told investigators that she was trafficked to The Gambia by an agent whom she was indebted to in the sum of D200,000 as travel expenses.
“She also claimed to have already paid D120,000 but she was later sent out of the house on allegation of thievery,” the police said.
It added: “Consequently, her boss forced her to hand over all the money she had been saving.”
Happiness reportedly told the police that she used to make D2000 to D3000 per night, depending on the market variables.
The police reported that she claimed to have been saving some money for her return to Nigeria to reunite with her family even though she was equally repaying her loan.
