No fewer than 200 Nigerian girls are trafficked every month to Russia for prostitution, the nation’s ambassador to that country, Amb. Asam Asam has said.
Asam, who spoke against the backdrop of consular challenges faced by the embassy, disclosed this in an interview in Berlin.
Investigations revealed that the crime had declined in Western Europe following strict laws on illegal migration, and joint efforts by Nigeria and the governments of those countries to curb the menace.
However, attention has shifted to Eastern Europe as the new destination for the trade.
He said, “the major consular challenge we face in Moscow is the influx of trafficked persons from Nigeria, not less than 200 girls are trafficked every month, and we have so many of them exposed to danger. “Some are thrown out of the window and treated harshly. There must be a way of stopping these racketeering.
“These girls are not tourists, students or government officials yet they are given visas from the Russian embassy in Abuja. So far we have deported over 240 girls since 2012, you will be shocked, at the extent of resistance from the girls. We tell them Russia is not a destination for prostitutes yet they still come” Asam added.
According to him, the mission tries to curb the menace by arranging deportation exercise for those caught, but the challenges are enormous.
The envoy said such intervention would be more effective at the point of entry “the strategy is to stop them from Nigeria, and fish out those involved in the trade.
“For instance a well known Russian human trafficker who has been in the trade for about 20 years was caught in Nigeria, “the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons( NAPTIP) was on the verge of releasing her before I filed a protest from Moscow to the Comptroller General of Immigration,” Asam stressed.
He said even the parents of those trafficked encourage their children.
“I spoke to the mother of one of the girls and she said her daughter should remain in Moscow and try to survive the ordeal, this is very sad indeed coming from one’s parent.”
He tasked the media on sensitising the public on the dangers of trafficking in Russia, “this East European nation has become a new destination for them, and believe me it is a very big crime here.”
Asam, however, said that other Nigerians who reside in that country were students, and professionals in various fields of human endeavours.
In another development, the body of 26 year old Adaobi Michaella Obih was found Tuesday at an apartment at Riverstone Apartments in Columbus, Indiana. Her death is being investigated as a homicide.
A spokesman for the Columbus Police Department said her neighbour, 36 year old Ryan Allen Klug, is a person of interest in the case. Ryan also lived in the apartment complex but has gone missing since Adaobi’s body was found.
The Columbus Police have not revealed how and why Adaobi was killed but they’re currently seeking the public’s help in locating Ryan Klug.
Adaobi was the first of two children and was already pursuing her PHD in Electrical Engineering at just 26 years old, she is from Nigerian parents.