Adeola Omotoso, daughter of veteran Nollywood actress Jumoke George, has opened up about a traumatic chapter of her life being trafficked and sold into prostitution in Mali under the guise of a job offer abroad.
In a deeply emotional interview, Adeola recounted how what she believed was an opportunity to work in a pharmacy overseas turned into a horrifying journey into modern-day slavery.
“It all began when someone I trusted introduced the idea of travelling to Mali for a job,” she shared. “She told me there was a pharmacy owner who needed help managing the business. It sounded like a good opportunity, and I accepted without telling my family.”
Adeola embarked on the trip by road, a grueling four-day journey that took her through Cotonou, Togo, Ghana, and other West African countries. Her hopes were dashed when she finally reached Bamako, the capital of Mali.
Upon arrival, she contacted the person whose number had been given to her, expecting to be received by an employer. Instead, she was met with betrayal.
“When I got to her house, she told me point blank that I had been bought and that I now belonged to her. She said she paid my ‘sister’ and I had to pay back 1.5 million CFA francs by working as a prostitute.”
Shocked and terrified, Adeola resisted, telling her new captor that she would rather die than sell her body.
“I told her I can’t do it. I won’t. She responded by taking my phone and all my travel documents. I was completely stranded.”
She was forcibly taken to a brothel, but continued to plead for an alternative. “I begged her. I said I could do other work to pay her back, but not prostitution. I couldn’t believe this was my reality.”
Her refusal to cooperate led to threats, but her resilience never wavered. In a stroke of luck, Adeola met a kind-hearted Malian man who took pity on her situation. She confided in him, and he helped her escape from her captors. He later found her a job as a food vendor in a different location, offering her a chance to survive.
While working there, she encountered several Nigerian women trapped in sex work some of whom died as a result of the harsh conditions. The experience left her deeply scarred.
“I didn’t want to come back home empty-handed. I wanted to raise some money first. But I was suffering. I couldn’t even bear to call my mum or my children because I was so ashamed. I once told my roommate, ‘If I die, don’t post my picture on social media.’ That’s how low I felt.”
After enduring four years in silence and pain, Adeola was finally rescued with the help of concerned individuals and reunited with her family in Nigeria earlier this week.
Her emotional return saw her welcomed by her mother, actress Jumoke George; the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa; and Nollywood actor Adeniyi Johnson.
Reflecting on her miraculous escape and eventual return, Adeola credited divine intervention and her mother’s prayers for her survival.
“I don’t know how good my mother is before God, but it must be something special. God spared me from the evil that could have ended my life in Mali.”
Her story is a harrowing reminder of the growing crisis of human trafficking, and a call to action for authorities to do more to protect vulnerable young Nigerians from falling prey to traffickers.
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