A Nigerian woman engaged in forced prostitution has cried out for help.
In a heart-breaking video that has gone viral on social media this week, the Nigerian woman could be heard saying, “I’m tired of this prostitution work. Every day.” She and other young Nigerian girls are pleading with the Nigerian government to come and rescue them from what they describe as a life of forced prostitution in Mali.
The woman, whose name is not yet known, explained in the video that traffickers lured them from Nigeria with promises of good jobs. Instead, they were taken across the border and forced to work as prostitutes. She said their “madam” demands they pay 2 million CFA (about ₦500,000 or more, depending on exchange rate) before they can be freed.
Many of the girls are said to be living in poor conditions, and some have even developed mental health problems because of the trauma.
This latest cry for help surfaced around 15-21 July 2026. The exact town or city in Mali where they are is not clearly stated in the videos, but reports point to different parts of the country where Nigerian women have been trafficked in the past.
Similar cases have been reported in previous years, especially around Bamako and other areas.
Anti-human trafficking groups and Nigerians on social media have shared the video widely. Many are calling on the government and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to act fast.
This incident constituted some of the border challenges discussed by migration stakeholders in the National Migration Conversation that was successfully convened by Migrationwatch Magazine recently.
The initiative attended by a wide of stakeholders advocated for massive awareness to prevent innocent persons from being trafficked through deception and gross misinformation.
Among the recommendations in the communique issued at the end of the event was inter-agency collaboration and adequate information dissemination.
