Ogun State, Nigeria – For 30-year-old Olaonipekun Adenike, a single mother of two, the dream of a better life turned into a nightmare of exploitation, rape, and near-death survival in Libya.
Raised in Sagamu, Ogun State, Adenike grew up in a family that did not value girls’ education. “In my community, traveling abroad is seen as the ultimate success,” she told Punch in an emotional interview.
The False Promise
Her ordeal began when a family friend—a woman she had known since childhood—reached out on Facebook, offering to help her relocate to Libya. “She said my mother had helped her in the past, and this was her way of repaying the kindness. She promised I’d only work for three months and then be free,” Adenike recalled.
Desperate to further her education at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), she accepted the offer.
The Deadly Journey Through the Desert
Her trip began in Lagos, then moved to Kano, before crossing into Niger Republic. But the real horror started in the Sahara Desert.
“We spent three months in the desert with little food or water. People died. At one point, we drank urine to survive,” she said.
Then came the rape.
“It wasn’t fellow travelers—it was the border police. They picked women at random and raped us before letting us pass,” she revealed, her voice trembling.
Sold Like a Slave
When she finally reached Libya, she discovered the truth—she had been sold.
“My mother’s friend claimed I took too long to arrive, so she sold me to a Ghanaian man,” Adenike said.
Her identity was erased—she was given a fake Ghanaian passport and renamed Ibrahim Aishat. Instead of three months, she was told she would work for 18 months to pay off her “debt.”
18 Months of Servitude
The Ghanaian trafficker handed her over to an Arab man who kept her as a house maid.
“I couldn’t even buy clothes. My ‘boss’ fed and clothed me while the Ghanaians came monthly to collect money,” she said.
Arrest, Brothel, and Escape
With the help of a friend, she tried to retrieve her documents—only to be arrested by Libyan police. Her mother sold her land to bribe officers, but Adenike was still jailed for a month in horrific conditions.
After a policeman helped her escape, she was sold again—this time to a brothel.
“They stripped me naked so men could see what they were paying for. I was forced to sleep with them daily,” she said.
One day, she climbed a fence and ran to the Nigerian embassy, where she stayed for two weeks before being flown back to Nigeria.
Back Home, But Forever Scarred
Now back in Nigeria with her two children—one born before her journey, the other after—Adenike warns others:
“Poverty and lies push people into this. Many think they’re going to Europe but end up trapped in Libya—working as slaves or rotting in prisons.”
Her story is a chilling reminder of the dangers of illegal migration—and the cruelty of human traffickers who prey on desperation.
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