“I know what they’re doing isn’t good, that’s why we asked them from the beginning if they’re interested or not, we didn’t force them”.

These were the words of Idem Joy, the boss to the 15 suspected trafficked victims who were used as sex workers in Ifo local government area of Ogun State.

The saying everyday for the thief and one day for the owner came true as Joy, who hails from Akwa Ibom State was arrested alongside other suspects by men of the Ogun State Amotekun Corps, at about 6:15 am on Wednesday, February 12, 2025.

The suspects, between the ages of 12 and 39 were used for prostitution at the Railway Line Hotel, located along the Old Bank Road in Ifo.

Fourteen of the girls were trafficked from Akwa Ibom, with the others from Cross River and Delta states, respectively.

This came amid revelation that some of the girls were HIV positive.

Speaking in an interview with Ekwutosblog, the 29-year-old suspect said she did not force the victims into prostitution and that they were aware of the nature of the job from the beginning.

She also disclosed that the trafficking ring was not solely operated by her, explaining that only four of the girls belonged to her, while others work for one Ivy, Success and auntie Oyinbo whose real names remain unknown.

“Yes, there is one of my colleagues, she’s not doing this business again. So the woman assisted me with the girls.

“Some of those girls are hers. Among those girls, I have only four inside, others have madam and some are madam of their own.

“Two of their madams are Igbos and one is Benin. I don’t know their real names but we call one Ivy, the other one is auntie Success and the last person is auntie Oyinbo,” Joy told Ekwutosblog.

She disclosed that she was caught because two of the girls belonging to the other ladies had escaped and in the process sold her out to the officers.

“Two of the girls ran away. I looked for them and had plans of going to report at the station because they are human beings and if something happened to them they’re on my neck.

“But this morning, police came to raid our place and I saw the missing girls with them. I asked them, if you don’t like this work, why didn’t you talk? And even though you want to react like this, you’re supposed to react when your madams are around,” she said.

If We Talk, We Would Die – Victims

The victims who were rescued by the timely intervention of the Ogun State Amotekun Corps were scared and refused to talk.

According to them, if they confessed their dealing to anyone, they would die.

One of the survivors, a 14-year-old JSS3 dropout (name withheld) who was seen shaking in fear, disclosed that they were made to take an oath.

She was trafficked into the state from Akwa Ibom on the 29th of January, 2024.

She said, “They did not tell me that this is what I will be doing, they only told me that I would be a sales girl when I arrive.

“On getting here, I was given some drugs to take before I started the work.

“She (Idem Joy) cut some of my hair from my head, saying whenever I run she would use my hair to kill me.

“For some, she took their pictures and others their blood.”

In response to a question about her pay, she said, “Sometimes I make N20,000 per day depending on the turnout.”

“I sleep with 10 to 12 men a day, they pay N1,000 or N2,000 it depends. But we give all the money to our madam,” she told Ekwutosblog.

Also speaking, a 17-year-old girl (name withheld) disclosed that she was brought into the state on November 7, 2024.

She said she swore to an oath while standing naked on a bible and was to work for one year before regaining her freedom.

“She cut my hair and I stood naked on a bible to swear an oath. For some of us, she used cotton wool to clean our private parts so that we can’t run away.

“My customers pay me N5,000, N2,000 and most of the time N1,000. She promised me that once I work well, I’m free to go after one year and she would buy me a phone and a box filled with clothes.

“Sometimes I have 10 customers per day, when I’m done they pay me N5,000, N2,000 and most of the time N1,000.”

The girls also revealed that most of the tissue papers used by their client were collected and kept by their boss.

The Oath Aren’t Real, Just To Scare Them – Suspect

Responding to their allegations, Madam Joy said the oath taking was merely done to scare them from running away and not for ritual purposes.

Joy said, “We didn’t make anyone swear. It’s just to scare them.

“The reason you see tissue and condom is that condom is for protection so, if a man comes around they use the condom and when they’re done, they use the tissue. I don’t collect used tissue from any of them.

“Those other girls used to hustle and give me the money but, once it is given to me, it’s not in my account, it’s for their madam.”

Ekwutosblog reports that among the items recovered from their hideout in the hotel included one bundle and 3 pieces of tissue paper, 15 packs and 45 pieces of condoms, 25 sachets of female condoms, and 25 pieces of cupid lubricant.

Others are one wrap of suspected Indian hemp, one local herbal mixture tied in a black nylon, a sum of N819,600, various types of drugs, energy enhancer, among others.

Joy, while maintaining that she has spent 4 years in the business, said any of the girls who want to return back to their families were free to do so.

“If this year finishes, it’ll be 4 years since I joined this business and If any one of them wants to go, they should put them in the car and let them go.

“I know what I’m doing is a criminal offense, that is why I did not force them,” she added.

Children Below 18 Can’t Give Consent To Sexual Activities- CPN

The Ogun state coordinator of the Child Protection Network, Barrister Adedamola Lapite, has said children below 18 years of age cannot give consent to sexual activities.

Lapite, describing the incident as disheartening and unfortunate, stated that according to the Child’s Right Law and Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law, even if the children had given consent, it is presumed as no consent.

“It’s absolute balderdash that this is coming from the girl’s mouth. It’s obvious that the 29-year-old is ignorant and doesn’t know what she is saying.

“The Child Right Law of Ogun State and the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law says that children as long as they are below 18 cannot give consent to sexual activities, even if the child gives consent, it’s presumed as no consent at all.”

“So coming out to say the children knew what they were getting into, children below 18 are taken as not knowing the implications of what they are doing,” Lapite told Ekwutosblog.

Ekwutosblog reports that Section 8, 9 of the Ogun State Child’s Right Law says, “A child shall not be regarded as capable of giving consent to sexual activities. Any person who defiles a child commits an offense and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for life”.

The lawyer, who is also the Executive Director, Spring Centre, a sexual assault referral centre in Ogun State, stated that the incident is one of so many in the state and the country at large, adding that perpetrators should be punished adequately.

Lapite, while attributing the reoccurrence of the menace to lack of justice and offenders getting away with their crimes, blamed poverty as one of the causes of such an act.

“Unfortunately most times you see that these people get away with some of these bastard acts and it encourages them to continue with this kind of attitude.

“It’s the parents of some of these children that hand them over under the disguise of ‘we are going to give your children a better life, we are going to put them through school’, not knowing the perpetrator’s real motive,” he said.

He noted that the Network had established community child protection committees in all 20 local government areas of the state in order to keep an eye on such matters.

The case has been charged to court – NAPTIP

The Ogun State commander of the National Agency For The Prohibition Of Trafficking In Persons, Abosede Jimoh said the agency had received the 15 victims alongside two suspects – the owner of the hotel and the trafficker.

She stated that the case had been charged to court and the victims were in protective custody, receiving counseling.

Jimoh said, ”We are on top of the situation. We have been investigating the case, and the victims are in protective custody, we’ve also been counseling them.”

The state commander, while lamenting that the girls were taken without the consent of their parents, said the 29-year-old trafficker confiscated their phones and seized their menstrual pads as a mechanism to keep them in slavery.

She disclosed that after medical examination, one of the girls was confirmed pregnant, some came out HIV positive, and others had various infections.

“It’s not easy for these victims to come out of the trauma. Some of them have contracted various infections, some are HIV positive, and one is pregnant.

“The 62-year-old owner of the hotel and the 29-year-old madam have been charged to court.

“We also know that human trafficking can also graduate into other forms of crime. It goes hand in hand with kidnapping.

“Yes, it is also kidnapping because she kept them in her custody without the consent of their parents.

“The parents did not know where their children were until they were handed over to us.

“She confiscated their phones and seized their menstrual pads as a mechanism to keep them in perpetual salvery, and this is dangerous for the nation,” she said.

When asked how long the victims would remain with the agency before reuniting with their family, the NAPTIP boss said, “when victims are rescued, we don’t just send them home, we also try to make sure that they are rehabilitated, given psychosocial support, empowered and then integrated back into the society”.

She revealed that provisions have been made for 4 of the victims to continue their education.

Meanwhile, Jimoh charged parents to be more protective of their children, adding that poverty is not a criteria to live a wayward life or to be exploited.

We’re Committed To Combating These Abuses – Ogun Commissioner

The commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Adijat Adeleye has maintained that the ministry is fully committed to combating the abuses against women and the girl child.

Adeleye, reacting to the incident, told Ekwutosblog that the ministry is working in collaboration with law enforcement, social welfare agencies, and other stakeholders to ensure that such acts are unraveled in all the nooks and crannies of the state.

She said, “This heinous exploitation of our vulnerable youth is an affront to our collective conscience and a stark reminder of the persistent scourge of human trafficking in our society.

“Our ministry is fully committed to combating these abuses, thus we have always engaged stakeholders to ensure the intelligence gathering and reporting of such acts to the nearest security formation.

“We are also intensifying our efforts to raise public awareness and strengthen policies/legislation to hold traffickers accountable, and to prevent such exploitation from recurring in our State”.