16-year-old girl trafficked to Mali by mum’s friend, forced to sleep with 20 men daily after being promised ₦200,000 monthly job

• Delta police arrested two suspected traffickers over the alleged trafficking of a 16-year-old girl to Mali.

• The teenager was reportedly promised a job in Lagos paying ₦200,000 monthly.

• She alleged that she was forced into prostitution and made to have sex with about 20 men daily.

• Police said investigations were ongoing following the teenager’s return to Nigeria.

A 16-year-old girl from Delta State has alleged that her mother’s friend trafficked her to Mali and forced her into prostitution after promising her a job in Lagos with a monthly salary of ₦200,000.

The Delta State Police Command reportedly arrested two suspected human traffickers in connection with the case after the teenager returned to Nigeria and investigators began looking into how she was taken out of the country.

According to a report by Freelanews published on October 8, 2026, the girl said a woman identified as Chidinma, who was known to her family and lived in her neighbourhood, offered to take her to Lagos for the job.

The teenager reportedly wanted to inform her mother before travelling, but the woman allegedly persuaded her to leave, assuring her that she could contact her mother after arriving in Lagos.

The girl was subsequently taken from the Summit area of Asaba to Lagos without her mother’s knowledge.

However, instead of being taken to the promised workplace, she was allegedly handed over to another group of people who transported her across the border to Mali.

The teenager told investigators that her ordeal worsened after she arrived in Mali, where she alleged that she was injected with an unknown substance and forced into prostitution.

She claimed she was made to have sex with about 20 men daily and was given the name “Sexy” while being exploited.

The girl also reportedly said she was paid about CFA 2,000 and repeatedly told those holding her that she did not want to engage in prostitution, but was not allowed to leave.

Her account forms part of the allegations being investigated by the police.

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During police questioning, Chidinma reportedly acknowledged knowing the teenager and described her as her neighbour.

Police are investigating the circumstances under which the woman allegedly took the girl to Lagos and how the teenager was subsequently transported to Mali.

The report also said the suspects received a combined ₦150,000 in connection with moving the girl, although the precise circumstances of the payment remain subject to investigation.

The Delta State Police Command has been investigating the case following the teenager’s return to Nigeria. The available reports did not establish whether the suspects had been formally charged or provide a subsequent court update.

Human trafficking involves the exploitation of people through means that can include deception, coercion and abuse of vulnerability. The alleged recruitment of a minor with a false job promise, followed by forced prostitution, raises serious concerns about child protection and cross-border trafficking.

The allegations against the suspects have yet to be established in court.