By Florencemary Nwabueze
A 16-year-old identified as Chidinma has been rescued from a Lagos brothel where she was allegedly drugged and forced into prostitution, sleeping with up to 30 men a day over a four-month period.
Chidinma originally from Delta State but living in Imo State, broke down in tears yesterday at the Lagos State Police Command as she recounted her harrowing ordeal.
The teenager said she was lured to Lagos by a woman she trusted with a promise of office work. Upon arrival at a building inside Balogun Market on Lagos Island, her situation turned into a nightmare.
"She never told me the work I was coming to do. Upon my arrival, my madam removed my clothes and left me only with pants. There were other young ladies there. She gave me a blue drug that made me disoriented. I slept with no fewer than 30 men daily. Sometimes, 60 men in one day."
Chidinma further alleged that the men paid between N5,000 and N10,000 per session, but she received only N1,000 or N1,500 for food. When she asked clients to use protection, they reported her to her captor, leading to brutal beatings with an iron rod until she bled.
"There was a time she punched my eye. For one week, I could not see with this eye," she said, pointing to her left eye.
Her escape came after a violent confrontation. When she refused to sleep with more men due to severe pain, her madam allegedly slammed her head against a wall and threatened her with a knife. She fled the building and wandered to Costain, where a Good Samaritan helped her reach Surulere. A woman selling popcorn there took her to Bode Thomas Police Station.
The Divisional Police Officer, shocked by her condition, ordered immediate hospital treatment, noting that the teenager looked much older due to her suffering.
Meanwhile, the accused trafficker, Princess Andrew, 28, also from Delta State, denied the allegations. She claimed she works independently as a sex worker and only helped Chidinma find accommodation. She insisted the teenager is actually 21 years old and had lied about her age.
However, Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Tijani, personally visited the brothel in Balogun yesterday. He disclosed that the syndicate targets vulnerable minors between 13 and 15 years old. Investigations reveal the cartel has trafficked about 30 girls in total, with operatives arresting two suspects and rescuing 13 underage girls so far.
Chidinma, who was learning baking before her ordeal, said she only wants to return home and resume her catering work. "I am tired. I want to go back to my catering work. I am almost done with it," she said.
The police have assured that the rescued victims are receiving medical care and psychological support as investigations continue.