Adeola Omotoso, the 41-year-old daughter of Nollywood veteran actress Jumoke George who was declared missing four years ago, has been rescued by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) from Mali where she was sold into prostitution.
In a recent interview with actress Biola Bayo on the "Talk to B" podcast, Omotoso revealed the harrowing details of her ordeal, explaining how she was deceived and trafficked under false pretenses.
"I met someone that introduced traveling to Mali to me. She deceived me with a pharmacy in Mali," Omotoso recounted. "I agreed without informing anyone. We travelled by road through Cotonou, Togo, Ghana and other countries for four days."
Upon arriving in Bamako, Mali's capital, Omotoso discovered the horrifying truth about her situation. "I called the contact I was given when I got to Bamako in Mali. It was when I got to her house that she told me that she has bought me for N250,000 from my sister, and I will work to pay her 1.5 million CFA. She said I was there for prostitution," she narrated.
According to her testimony, she eventually managed to escape from the brothel after securing employment with a food vendor. The details of her escape and subsequent rescue by NIDCOM were not fully elaborated in the interview.
Jumoke George, a veteran in the Nigerian movie industry, had been searching for her daughter for four years before NIDCOM successfully located and facilitated her return to Nigeria.
This case highlights the ongoing issue of human trafficking in West Africa, where victims are often lured with promises of better opportunities abroad only to be forced into prostitution or other forms of exploitation.
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission continues to work on rescuing Nigerian citizens who have been trafficked to various countries, with recent reports indicating that the commission has received 13 trafficked Nigerians rescued from Ghana and Mali.
