Ebonyi State has once again emerged as a hotspot for human trafficking, with 25 underage girls rescued from a prostitution ring in Aguleri, Anambra East LGA. The victims, lured from Ebonyi communities, were held at Morning Star Hotel and forced into sex work, exposing deep vulnerabilities in regional child protection.
Victim Testimonies Reveal Brutal DeceptionA viral video shared by an Aguleri indigene captures the girls’ confessions. They named “madams” from Akwa Ibom, Abia, and Niger states as their traffickers, who promised jobs but delivered exploitation.
Fourteen-year-old Divine from Abakaliki shared her ordeal: “A woman met me and my cousin in Abakaliki, offering work in Anambra to support our family. When we arrived, she revealed the truth—we refused, but they demanded we repay transport costs through prostitution. We tried escaping multiple times; they caught us. Even on our periods, they gave us cotton wool to keep working.”
Divine’s cousin and friend corroborated the story. Divine’s mother traced her after she vanished in October 2025, prompting community intervention.
This rescue underscores Ebonyi’s ongoing trafficking crisis. Local data shows dozens of girls annually funneled to urban centers like Anambra amid poverty and unemployment. Similar cases have risen 20% in southeast Nigeria per NAPTIP reports, with Ebonyi as a primary origin state.
Ebonyi stakeholders urge Governor Nwifuru’s administration to bolster anti-trafficking patrols and economic programs in high-risk areas like Abakaliki. “Protecting our daughters starts at home,” said a local advocate.
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