TheCable

Seven Nigerian girls currently stranded in Abidjan have called on the Nigerian embassy in Cote d ‘Ivoire  to assist them in returning their families.

Three of the girls — Dele, Rose and Cynthia — said they were brought to the country by three persons. They claimed that they were provided accommodation in a brothel in Sikensi, on the outskirts of Abidjan, and made to serve as sex workers.

Narrating their ordeal, one of them, Blessing Elohor, 18, from Delta, said they were rescued by leaders of the Nigerian community in Cote d’Ivoire.

“I was showed a picture of a `white man’ who, they said, owns a shop in Abidjan. They said I would serve as a waiter in his shop,” she said.

“I was surprised when they showed me a room and gave me condoms. They refused us making calls or even having discussions with people.’’

Tracy Ekuagbe, 17, said she was told that she was being taken to Germany, and was promised a paid job on arrival.

She described her current experience in Cote d’Ivoire as a clear case of slavery and intimidation.

“I started suspecting them when they took us to a motor park. We did not board an aircraft, and I know you do not travel to Europe by road. They always had stories to tell us until we got to Abidjan and was taken to a brothel where I ended up staying for three months,’’ she said.

Others stranded Nigerians in Cote D’Ivoire gave their names as Esumei Blessing, Joy Omojevwe, Tessy Obawangi, Esther John and Daivy John.

Mr Collins Chiaha, the secretary-general of the Nigerian Community in Cote d’Ivoire said the community would continue to support relevant authorities to tackle the menace of trafficking Nigerians, lamenting the constant embarrassment to the image of the country.

“I urge government to evolve ways of tightening border security to ensure that under-aged girls are no longer forced out of  their homes  into foreign lands,’’ he said.