‘How oath-taking stops trafficked victims from talking’
SKAiF NewsNG SNN
By Ozioruva Aliu
There are several shrines in Benin City, the Edo State capital and beyond where people go to take oaths over personal and sometimes collective issues. However, some of these shrines have become hubs for oath-taking for intending travellers, mostly ladies, seeking to go into prostitution abroad.
The Edo State Migration Agency (ESMA) claims these shrine activities have hindered their operations, noting that oath-taking rituals are being used to silence victims of human trafficking.
According to him, some parents are even pressuring their children to be trafficked, and some victims are being forced to undergo inhumane treatments, including the insertion of chips to prevent pregnancy.
Speaking with NDV, the agency’s Director-General, Lucky Agazuma, stated that potential trafficking victims are often made to swear oaths at shrines, threatening them with death if they speak out about their experiences.
Agazuma explained that these rituals have hindered ESMA’s efforts to combat human trafficking, but the agency has still made significant progress, with 30 cases currently under investigation or trial. The agency has also rescued several underage girls trafficked for prostitution and arrested their handlers.
He attributed the successes recorded in the last one year to the commitment and determination of Governor Monday Okpebholo to safeguard the dignity, safety, and wellbeing of Edo citizens, both at home and abroad.
Oath as obstacle
He said: “Most of the victims are made to swear oaths to the extent that when they are rescued, they cannot speak up to anybody for fear of repercussions. We will make these native doctors know that there are laws in Edo State that empower us to confiscate their properties and their shrines because we had arrested a native doctor who told us that trade is his means of livelihood.
“We have several minors being trafficked. There was one who was trafficked to Burkina Faso to sleep with old men in their 60s and 70s and her womb fell according to the doctors. They also planted chips on her body so that she won’t get pregnant. There was a girl that was kidnapped and they were using her to negotiate for ransom until we arrested her family members. They brought her half dead but today she is doing well. We also received many minors with chips implanted in their bodies to avoid pregnancy.
“Many of them are afraid to speak up because of the native doctors and the oath that if they speak up, they will die.”
Agazuma disclosed that eight cases have been charged to court, 17 are under investigation, while two cases have been closed and resolved. He added that 20 returned migrants were recorded within the period.
He further revealed that the number of internally trafficked persons rescued, as well as raids carried out by the agency, stood at 482, assuring that the state government would sustain the fight against human trafficking and illegal migration.
Agazuma also disclosed that another case involving a pregnant victim, identified as Odion, who was trafficked to Côte d’Ivoire, is currently under investigation. He explained that Odion, who was due for delivery, was sent back to Nigeria to stay with her mother but later returned with her grandmother without a baby.
“Investigations revealed that an individual operating an illegal medical store allegedly administered drugs to Odion during labour, leading to the death of the baby. The matter is still under investigation,” he said, adding: “We have more than seven cases in the court as of today. We cannot prosecute; we send them to the ministry to do that. We have equally arrested a native doctor.”
Plans for the New Year
ESMA plans to intensify its efforts in the new year, focusing on potential migrants and returned migrants. “We intend to visit all the companies in Edo State so that they can channel their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to the Edo State Migration Agency through employment.
“We believe when they are working, they will not be thinking of migrating irregularly. We want to also collaborate with government ministries like the Humanitarian Ministry, Sports Commission, and Ministry of Youths to register a football team for potential and returned migrants using football to engage them because many of them feel stigmatized as well as carry out very strong advocacy through the churches, mosques, traditional rulers, NGOs including the media because we know the power of the media when it comes to issues of advocacy and reach,” he said.
He warned parents and youths to be vigilant and not fall victim to traffickers who parade ill-gotten wealth to lure unsuspecting young people with false promises of greener pastures in Europe and other parts of the world.
He also appealed to the public to support ESMA’s efforts, saying: “We need the Justice Ministry to expedite trials so that people will know we are serious about combating human trafficking.”
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