“Me and my friend bin wan travel out, so her boyfriend tell am say im sister need girls wey go work for her for Italy. We enta Lagos to meet di boy, and e tell us to wait say dem dey prepare our passports and oda tins we need to travel.” Mercy tok as she narrate give BBC Pidgin, her journey and experience for di hands of kidnappers.
Mercy na 24-year-old Nigerian lady wey bin dey find job – her journey to get dat job land her inside kidnappers den afta some pipo deceive her and her friend to come for one job offer.
She say di mata start since October, 2020.
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Journey to Lagos
Mercy say she bin leave Lagos wit her friend Blessing for October 2020 afta her friend boyfriend promise dem say one job dey wait dem for Italy, say make dem come Lagos.
“Me and my friend won travel out, so her boyfriend tell am say im sister need girls wey go work for her for Italy. We enta Lagos to meet di boy, and e tell us to wait say dem dey prepare our passports and oda tins we need to travel.” She tok.
Mercy say wen she and her friend enta Lagos reach di place, she tell her friend say she no too dey okay wit di place but di host tell am make she calm down, say dem go bring dia passports and visa come for evening.
Mercy allege say dia host serve dem drink wey dem don put sleeping tablet. Wen di two ladies wake up, na inside bush dem find dia self.
“We ask for somtin to eat and drink. Dem bring food and sealed juice, afta we drink di juice, we find ourselves for strange place,” Mercy tok.
‘Dem dey rape us and beat us’
Mercy say her experience for inside bush na hell.
“One girl deliver baby inside di bush and die. Dem take di baby. One girl say she don dey plan to escape. Dem dey maltreat us, no water, no food and dem dey abuse us.”
For inside di bush, dem go carry girls to rape, beat and abuse. Dem also shoot some of dem sometimes, especially di ones wey prove stubborn. Dem shoot two for my presence. Dem go tell us say na di same fate go befall us if we do di same. Di guys dey always dey on drugs and dem dey do anytin dem like wen dem don high.”
Mercy allege say one man wey dey speak French come di bush and di kidnappers give am one girl. Mercy say di kidnappers also dey into human trafficking.
Escape from di kidnappers den
Mercy say she find out say she don get belle inside di bush and she feel bad about am.
One of di girls wey dem meet dia na she mobilise di escape wen di kidnappers don high and dey abuse oda girls for inside bush.
Na five of dem escape but only four survive am.
“I no sure say wia di kidnappers carry us go na Lagos, because wen we escape, di truck driver wey help four of us komot for express say e dey go Lagos.”
Mercy tok say Blessing die for inside di bush afta dem stop to relax during dia escape.
Na July 2021 Mercy escape from di kidnappers den – From October 2020 wey she bin dey dia.
Di trap start from Facebook boyfriend
Mercy aunty, Maureen follow BBC Pidgin tok about di mata – Mercy bin still dey weak and no fit tok too much as she never fit still get herself.
“Her friend tell am say her Facebook boyfriend tell am say one job dey Italy for dem. Di boyfriend tok say her sister wey dey Italy won sponsor girls go Italy and give dem job. E tell dem say dem go dey receive plenty money,” Maureen tok.
“Many guys go come, dem go drug dia self and rape Mercy and oda girls. Ritual killings dey also go on for di bush. Mercy tok say e get one table wey dem dey take slaughter pipo,” Maureen tok.
Mercy aunty tok say di kidnappers dey supply di ladies wey dey on dia period with rags to use instead of sanitary pads.
“Di men go bring di rags and come back with sack to collect di blood-soaked rags,” Maureen tok.
Maureen say dem don bin dey find Mercy since last year, but na only Thursday last week, for inside November 2021 dem use eye see her.
Mercy return to Warri afta her belle don advance and she born baby boy on Sunday, 28, November, 2021.
Mercy wey bin dey into catering before di whole mata start say she just wan move on with her life and support her pikin.
“I want make Nigerians support me in any way dem fit. Na catering I bin dey do before dem tell me say I fit get beta job for Italy with beta salary.” She tok.