How AI saved 4 Kogi girls trafficked to Mali for prostitution

Four girls from Okene Local Government, Kogi State, who were trafficked to Morila, Mali, for prostitution under the guise of gold-mining and shop attendant jobs, have been rescued.

The victims, including a 14-year-old girl, were freed following the intervention of anti-human trafficking activists after one of them used Artificial Intelligence (AI) on WhatsApp to seek help.

The rescue has sparked calls on Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, and the Kogi State Government to urgently intervene to ensure the survivors receive rehabilitation, justice and adequate protection.

Founder of the Global Association Against Human Trafficking and Other Abuses (GAHhs alert from an official of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Uyo Command, about the girls trapped in Mali.

Michael said he established direct contact with one of the victims to obtain details of their situation and subsequently liaised with a Nigerian community leader in Mali, who facilitated their safe return to Nigeria.

His intervention complemented efforts by Mr Geoffrey, Head of Operations, NAPTIP Uyo Command, who had earlier received the victims’ distress message through AI.

One of the victims, Sekinat, 23, an auxiliary nurse from Okene, recounted how she was lured to Mali by her mother’s friend with the promise of a legitimate job.

“I started the journey on October 14 and got there on October 19. When I got there, she collected my phone and ID cards. She later told me that the work they do here is prostitution. I thought it was a joke. I was told the work was picking gold and working in a shop,” she said.

Sekinat said the woman threatened that any girl who refused to engage in prostitution would be sold to another country or killed, with her family never seeing her again.

To survive, she pretended to comply with the trafficker’s demands. The woman allegedly renamed her Matt and her friend Grace.

The girls, however, had a hidden phone and SIM card purchased during their journey. They initially contacted a Nigerian Army officer, who told them he was on a mission.

They subsequently turned to AI on WhatsApp, which linked them to anti-trafficking contacts.

“We sent him our pictures, our madam’s number and her name, and the name of the area. We were four in number,” Sekinat said.

She disclosed that when the activist contacted their alleged trafficker, the woman interrogated them and instructed them to lie to the embassy.

According to Sekinat, they were told to claim that the woman spent N1.5 million, instead of N2.5 million, to bring them to Mali and that they were comfortable there and did not want to return to Nigeria.

“We pretended to agree while secretly messaging the man that she was threatening us. That was how she found out we were the ones talking to him,” she added.

Geoffrey, Head of Operations, NAPTIP Uyo Command, who first received the distress message, told VonNews that the victim contacted him through WhatsApp.

“I saw a WhatsApp message that read: ‘Good morning, sir. I am a girl, a Nigerian girl, trapped in Mali. My madam seized my passport and asked me to go and be doing hook-up. Please, our life is in danger,’” he said.

Geoffrey said when he asked how she obtained his number, the victim explained that she had searched everywhere for help but found none until she sought assistance from AI, which provided his contact.

He said he contacted an office responsible for the repatriation of victims but received no response for two days.

JjjjjjjjHe was subsequently linked to Michael, who responded immediately and coordinated efforts to combat trafficking.

The case became more disturbing following the discovery that a 14-year-old girl from Kogi State was among the victims.

Geoffrey described the minor’s first experience of sexual exploitation as “very terrible”, saying people broke down in tears during her interview.

He disclosed that the girl’s father was aware of her trip to Mali and had allegedly encouraged her to go.

“How can he send a child of 14 years? Irrespective of the work she wants to go and do there, it is abuse. It is child abuse. It is triggered by poverty and low mentality,” he said.

Speaking further, Michael described the rate at which Nigerians were trafficked abroad as alarming.

He said GAHTO was working towards becoming financially capable of rescuing Nigerians trapped in foreign countries, particularly Libya, with support from philanthropists and the government.

“Our people are crying for rescue every day and we must be there for them,” he said.

Following the rescue, human rights advocates and family members called on Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and the Kogi State Government to urgently intervene to support the survivors.

They appealed to the senator, known for her advocacy for women and girls, to ensure that the rescued victims, particularly the 14-year-old minor, receive adequate medical care, trauma counselling, educational support and economic empowerment to prevent them from falling victim to trafficking again.

The group also urged the state government, through the Ministry of Women Affairs and NAPTIP, to investigate and prosecute the trafficking network allegedly operating between Kogi and Mali.

It called for intensified grassroots sensitisation in Okene and other parts of Kogi Central against fraudulent foreign job offers.

“These are daughters of Kogi Central. They left in search of survival and returned as survivors of trafficking. We are drawing the attention of Distinguished Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and the Kogi State Government to come to their aid and ensure justice is served,” the rescue team stated.

The four survivors are currently undergoing care and rehabilitation.

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