‘Our households disowned us’ – Edo intercourse staff cry out over alleged extortion, leaked movies

Several commercial sex workers in Benin City, Edo State, have alleged extortion and public humiliation following a recent raid conducted in the Government Reservation Area, GRA, by the Edo State Task Force on Migration.

The women, who were arrested on Monday night in a clampdown reportedly aimed at curbing prostitution and drug trafficking, claimed they were profiled at the Edo State Migration Agency office.

Upon their release, they alleged that officials demanded payments ranging from N15,000 to N50,000 in exchange for a promise not to publish videos recorded during the profiling process.

However, the sex workers expressed outrage after the videos surfaced online, unedited, with their identities fully visible, despite their compliance with the alleged demand.

One of the victims, who requested anonymity, told reporters that the breach of the agreement has left her devastated.

“I am still in shock. I haven’t been myself since last Thursday. The Edo State Migration Agency recorded us and promised not to post the videos after collecting N50,000 from each of us, but they went ahead and posted them. I have proof of the money paid through POS. I was shocked when friends and family members called to say they saw my video on TikTok and Instagram,” she said.

Another woman who was also arrested recounted a similar experience.

“On Friday evening, all these migration people raided us at Ihama Street and arrested 30 of us. They detained us at their office and recorded videos with a promise not to publish them if we paid N50,000 each. The next thing, my family members saw the videos and started calling me. They said I brought shame to them and that they want nothing to do with me because of the video,” she said tearfully.

The women identified one Mr Uyinmwen Uyigue as the individual who allegedly collected the payments, providing receipts of transfers made to his Point of Sale, POS, account. According to them, Uyigue claimed the money was for the Edo State Migration Agency to suppress the video footage.

When contacted, Uyigue confirmed receiving payments from four persons but denied the funds were collected on behalf of the agency. Instead, he stated that the payments were fines imposed by the owners of the lodges where the women were staying.

Uyigue explained that the Benin GRA Hospitality Forum, an association of hospitality business owners, had agreed that any of their female guests caught soliciting in public would be fined N50,000 by the establishment.

“The payments were penalties enforced by the lodge operators, not by the Edo State Migration Agency,” he clarified.

Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Edo State Task Force Against Human Trafficking and Irregular Migration, Mr Lucky Agazuma, has distanced the agency from the alleged extortion.

In a brief statement, Agazuma denied any involvement, stressing that the agency remains focused on its rehabilitation and reintegration programmes.

He further maintained that the agency is adequately funded and does not engage in illegal collection of money from persons undergoing profiling or rehabilitation.