Rita Odafe
An operation involving the Nigerian Embassy in Dakar and a Senegalese NGO has resulted in the liberation of 24 Nigerian girls from sexual exploitation in Senegal, specifically in the Tamaccounda and Kedougou regions.
The collaborative effort effectively rescued the girls from their exploitative circumstances.
As disclosed by Salihu Abubakar, the acting Ambassador of the Nigerian Embassy in Dakar, the victims, primarily girls and women aged between 11 and 24, with a focus on underage girls, were trafficked to Senegal through Cotonou, Benin Republic, passing through the Mali-Senegal border for purposes of sexual exploitation.
Abubakar explained, “These girls and many more are being trafficked to Senegal through Cotonou, Benin Republic via Mali to the Senegal border for prostitution.”
Initial investigations suggest that a significant number of the girls and women were dropouts from schools in Edo and Delta states, with a few others originating from Imo, Abia, and two from Plateau. Abubakar stated that out of the 24 girls and women, 22 were repatriated weeks earlier, while the remaining two safely returned to Nigeria on Saturday.
Details regarding the victims’ health condition and the duration of their exploitation were not disclosed. Nonetheless, the diplomat underscored that the successful repatriation underscores the robust international collaboration between the embassy and the NGO “Free the Slaves” (La Lumiere in French) in the fight against human trafficking.
Abubakar expressed, “Our primary objective and top priority are to deter the trafficking of Nigerian girls to any part of the world for prostitution in any form.”
