CHANGE is constant, they say and this is the case of Marta Odion Enewonye, an indigene of Edo State. Born into a poor home, she said, her quest for fame and fortune led her into the world of prostitution and later girl trafficking in Burkina Faso. At the age of 19, she had her first experience. “The man’s face is still fresh in my memory. The first time I did it was in the hotel in Burkina-Faso,” she said
She narrated to our correspondent the sordid story of her life: “I came from a poor background. I was living in Abuja before I travelled to Benin City to see my twin-sister and from there I met a man who said he would help me travel outside the country and I agreed.
“Before I became a prostitute, I was a hairdresser. I was desperate because I wanted to assist my family through any means possible. We were 10 girls that followed the man. He took us to Senegal and then to Burkina-Faso. On getting to Burkina-Faso, the man disappeared over night; we never knew that he had sold us to one woman who owned a hotel there.
“The woman was from Burkina-Faso. She explained to us how we were to operate, that she bought us with a large sum of money and we were going to work to pay her back. We were given an exercise book each where we kept record of the money we paid the woman. She also advised us that we could easily become rich by selling our bodies to make lots of money. At first, I found it difficult, but as time passed, I became a professional. We all worked and made returns to this woman. All this I did but when I finished balancing the woman, she initiated me into girl trafficking. I later found out that I was sold to the woman for 200,000 CFA but I balanced her 450,000 CFA.”
According to Marta, the experience was tough but she was not satisfied. Jumping from one man to the other, things went smoothly and she progressed in her trade. But as soon as she noticed a decline in customers, she went diabolic. She sought for a native doctor and asked for charm that would make men come under her spell, in a manner that they would subject to her and thus do her bidding.
“At a time, I was losing customers and out of desperation, I had to go to a native doctor for charms to protect myself and to hypnotise men. The herbalist put some markings on my skin, and gave me some charms to use. He told me how to use the charm and it worked. I was not the only one that went to the herbalist. We were like four that went that day. “I continued using the charm and it helped my business. It was a charm that enabled me to escape the police and immigrations anytime I encountered them. I could also control men with the charm. I could ask them to pay me one million a night, and they will pay it,” she said. However, somehow along the line, the charm started failing her. She narrated to our correspondent not only how the charm failed her at some point, but how it also paralysed her.
“As I said earlier, I was given instructions on how to use the charm. We were warned that if we did not follow the instructions properly, that there would be consequences. The herbalist made it clear to us that the way the consequence goes is either one runs mad, or dies. Honestly, I had issues because I never kept to the instructions and the charm paralized me, I ran to the Lord’s Chosen for healing and deliverance and God set me free.
“One of the condition for its continued potency was that I would go to the market square at certain period, and break an egg. But I was so ashamed to do that. I was asked also to rub the yoke on my face, but I refused. I attracted men through my dressing and through this, I also encouraged other girls to join prostituion. The native doctor told me that it was my disobedience that caused my ruin, as all the charms he gave me had backfired and paralized me. “He told me that he couldn’t cure me and I tried seeking treatment but to no avail. I had to turn to God and after God healed me, I turned a new leaf. I left the prostitution and trafficking business and also managed to convince one of the girls to do same and we returned to Nigeria,” she said.
When asked her about her family’s stance on her prostituting business, she said that her mother was not aware of her trade. She also gave an insight into how she got married.
“My father is dead while my mother is alive. She is a Christian and even up till now, my mother does not know that I was into prostitution. I had to lie when she suspected me. She laid a curse and told me that if I venture into it, I should not bring the money to her. All the money I made prostituting, I used for unnecessary things. I knew she thought that I was still doing hair-dressing.
“The man who got me pregnant was the same man that married me. It was in 2004 that I got pregnant and after the delivery, I returned the baby to Nigeria and gave him to his father, and returned to my trade in Burkina-Faso.
To my greatest surprise, the man I had the child for came and asked for my hand in marriage. We returned to Nigeria to carry out the marriage rites, but at first, his family refused to accept me but by God’s grace, through my branch pastor, they later did and we got married. Today, I am a mother of four boys and a girl. She also told our correspondent that men and women are involved in trafficking and prostitution. According to her, it is not a preserve of any gender and initiation into it was very rigorous.
“At the initiation, they collect your pubic hair, hair on your head and even hair from your armpit, just to chain you, should you try to escape. Most traffickers have rings in their hands, and some have marks in their tongues and whatever they say, you obey. They use this charm to convince anyone, whether police, immigration or even a customer.
“We also have men who traffic boys. There are also 419 in the trade and these men also patronize prostitutes and connived with them to commit other criminal acts. These guys end up as sex slaves. Honestly, it was a horrible experience I won’t wish for anyone, even my enemy,” she said.
Source: Saturday Sun
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