Adeola Omotoso, daughter of veteran Nollywood actress Jumoke George, has shared the harrowing story of how she was trafficked into prostitution in Mali.
Speaking in a recent interview, Adeola revealed that her ordeal began when someone offered her a job opportunity in Mali under the guise of working at a pharmacy. Unbeknownst to her, she was being lured into human trafficking.
“I met someone who said there was a job in Mali. She claimed the owner of a pharmacy needed help and asked if I could manage it. I agreed without telling anyone at home. We travelled by road for four days, passing through Cotonou, Togo, Ghana, and finally arrived in Bamako.”
Upon arrival, the reality was grim. Adeola said she was told by her host that she had been purchased and would have to work as a prostitute to repay a debt of 1.5 million CFA francs.
“I was shocked. The woman said she was my ‘madam’ and that my sister had sold me to her. She insisted I had to prostitute myself to pay her back. I told her I would rather die than do that. She threatened me and took away my phone and travel documents.”
Adeola was taken to a brothel but managed to escape after a kind stranger helped her find work as a food vendor.
“At the brothel, I knew I couldn’t survive. I begged to do any other job to repay the money, but she refused. Later, I met a man and told him everything. He helped me find work selling food in another area.”
While working there, Adeola encountered many Nigerian women who had died in similar circumstances. Despite the suffering, she hesitated to reach out to her family due to shame.
“I was there for four years, suffering, with nothing to show for it. I couldn’t call my mum or my children. At one point, I told my roommate not to post about me on social media if I died.”
Adeola’s story ends with a miraculous escape and reunion with her family, facilitated by Nigerian authorities. She credits her survival to divine intervention and her mother’s prayers.
