Sex workers in Benin accuse Edo Taskforce of extortion and leaking private videos online.
They claim officials collected money and still shared arrest clips on TikTok and Instagram.
A group of commercial sex workers in Benin City, Edo State, has accused the Edo State Taskforce on Human Trafficking and Illegal Migration of extorting money from them and breaching their privacy.
The women, who were arrested during a raid on Monday night, claimed that officials from the agency collected between ₦15,000 and ₦50,000 from them before they were released. The operation was part of the state’s efforts to clamp down on prostitution and drug trafficking.
According to the women, they were profiled and recorded at the agency’s office before being let go. They said officials had promised not to post the videos online. However, the women expressed shock and distress after the footage was later circulated on platforms like TikTok and Instagram without blurring their faces.
“I haven’t been myself since last Thursday,” one of the sex workers said. “They took ₦50,000 from me with a promise not to post the video, but now my friends and family have seen it online. I have proof of the POS payment.”
Another woman recounted how she was picked up on Friday night during a raid at Ihama Street, along with around 30 others. “We were told that if we paid ₦50,000, the video wouldn’t be released. Now my family is disowning me. They say I’ve brought disgrace to them.”
The women provided payment receipts bearing the name Uyinmwen Uyigue, whom they alleged was involved in the collection of the money.
Responding to the allegations, Mr. Uyigue, a member of the GRA Hospitality Forum, admitted collecting funds from four women but clarified that the payments were fines imposed by lodge owners not by the Migration Agency. According to him, the forum had agreed that any hotel or lodge whose sex workers were caught soliciting on the streets would be fined ₦50,000.
“Drug activities have been damaging our hospitality businesses,” he said. “We met with the agency and decided to implement strict penalties. The payment made by those girls was not to the agency but as fines to their respective lodge owners.”
Meanwhile, the Director General of the Edo State Migration Agency, Lucky Agazuma, denied any involvement in extortion. He stated that the agency is fully funded and does not rely on money from sex workers.
“Our goal is to rehabilitate, not extort,” Agazuma explained. “We’ve had discussions with brothel operators, warning them against housing underage girls. In recent operations, we found minors and have since taken action. Some of the individuals responsible, including a native doctor who administered oaths, are currently in prison.”
Agazuma also mentioned ongoing investigations into organ trafficking and recent arrests of a couple caught trafficking a minor to Mali.
