Obiorah Blessing, a victim of human trafficking, has narrated her experience and some of the things she witnessed while in Libya after she was deceived by her aunt who promised to take her to Italy but ended up being trafficked to the north African country.
Blessing, believed to be in her mid 30s revealed that she was sold into prostitution at multiple occasions by traffickers, arrested alongside other victims by the state authorities.
READ ALSO: How I was lured into commercial s3x work in Libya – Returnee
In an interview with THE PUNCH, she revealed that she witnessed some of the victims were slaughtered and their organs sold to buyers.
According to her, she was assaulted and forced to drink different kinds of unhealthy water.
Sharing her ordeal, Blessing said, “I left on the 22nd of September 2015 after my aunt told me of the journey to Italy through Libya.” She did not tell me what I was going to do there, but she did tell me her son’s friend would take me on the journey. During our journey to Libya, the driver assaulted me and other victims, and I got pregnant. Upon our arrival, our host told me that the man who brought me on the journey had not paid my travel expenses.
“I was kidnapped along the line and my mother was asked to pay N1.5 million. However, I was sold into prostitution after my mother paid. I lost my pregnancy during my journey to my new captors.”
She continued, “At the new place, I witnessed how other victims were sold and killed for their organs.” I was sold multiple times from there until a Nigerian man bought me.
“The Nigerian man bought me for N150,000, but he demanded N2.5 million for my release. He also sold me into prostitution to work for him. I kept moving from one prison to another and getting sold until I got rescued and deported to Nigeria by the United Nations (UN). My mother told me that her sister lied to her that she sent me money to come home, but I refused to return home,” she said.
Blessing who is back into the country has advised young Nigerians with the intent of traveling out of the country to have a proper travel documentation before embarking on their journey.
“I discourage people from illegal travel.” I advise people to travel with their documents. I have since become a fashion designer and a stylist. I have also learned how to make shoes and bags.
“I advise youths to desist from embarking on similar journeys. We were treated like “animals.” I urge parents to discourage their children from embarking on such a journey.”
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