SHOCKING Picture: Dump Sites where New Born Babies are Trashed. (Page 7)

From UNESCO (UN):

Despite the widespread nature of the phenomenon, research on human
trafficking is concentrated on southern Nigeria with Delta, Edo
and Cross Rivers States being the main focal points. Consequently,
the northern sector of the country has received relatively little attention.
This incorrectly suggests that human trafficking is not a problem
in northern Nigeria. The trade in human beings is as prevalent
in northern Nigeria as in other parts of the country.

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001478/147844e.pdf


The Middle East is another destination, especially Libya and Saudi
Arabia. The recruitment of girls trafficked to Saudi Arabia comes
predominantly from the northern part of Nigeria, especially Kano,
Kwara Kaduna, Niger, Borno, Taraba, Yobe, Nassarawa, Plateau, Kebbi,
Kwara, Sokoto, Katsina, Adamawa, Zamfara, Jigawa, Gombe and Bauchi
States. Improved immigration records have helped debunk the erroneous
impression that human trafficking for prostitution does not occur in the
northern part of Nigeria. Based on such sources, a paper from the Nigerian
Immigration Service reported that:

“From March 2002-April 2004, the Saudi Arabia authorities
deported 9,952 women and 1,231 underage unaccompanied
children. Investigations revealed that the majority of the
women deported from Saudi Arabia are from: Kano, Borno,
Adamawa, Yobe, Nassarawa, Plateau, Niger, Kebbi, Kwara,
Sokoto, Katsina, Zamfara, Jigawa, Gombe, Bauchi and Taraba
States.” 22

Those going to Europe have to explain why they are taking the
trip, but those going to Saudi Arabia justify their travel under the guise
of Islamic pilgrimage. As previously mentioned, the Malam Aminu Kano
International Airport in Kano34, serving the largest city in northern Nigeria,
is a key transit point to the Middle East and other parts of Europe.

Extensive literature on the trafficking of Nigerians for sex in Europe
and the Middle East has drawn national and international attention to
the issue.

A form of trafficking currently under investigation takes place in the
northern part of Nigeria and involves the luring of young children to
Saudi Arabia to be killed for blood money known as “diya”. The method is
quite simple: the trafficker, often female, takes a child trafficked to Saudi
Arabia to go shopping; when she spots an affluent Arab’s car, she pushes
the child in the path of the car to get run over and possibly killed. There
are two types of penalties for anyone who kills another human being in
Saudi Arabia. The first is the death penalty; the second is the offering
compensation to the relatives of the dead victim, if the relatives accept
(“diya”). The trafficker opts for the second option and obtains an equivalent
of about Naira 3,500,000 (local currency, equivalent to some US $27,000).
The trafficker returns to Nigeria and informs the parents of the trafficked
child that the child died of natural causes. The trafficker pays the parents
about Naira 100,000 an equivalent (about US $775) as the wages of the
child while in Saudi Arabia. Parents do not typically probe the trafficker’s
story, often accepting the death of the child as the will of Allah. Many
simply accept the supposed wages. There is little research on this form of
trafficking, but our interviews suggest that those recruited are women and
children from poor family backgrounds and rural communities.40

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001478/147844e.pdf


Saudatu Halilu, a 16 year-old girl who moved to Kano from a rural village to work as a maid, has been a victim of the trade’s dangers.

Saudatu was brought to Kano from Nassarawa State in central Nigeria 10 months ago to work as a domestic help, but she said her master forced her into sleeping with him and threatened to kill her if she told anyone.

“I was too scared to tell my mistress or anyone what happened for fear of what my master would do to me and I did not realise I was pregnant until a medical check after I began to show some signs which attracted the attention of my mistress”, Halilu told AFP.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=79118

This is autobiography from a Hausa woman from Northern Nigeria:

"We used to go to the compounds of the prostitutes in Zarewa town and watch them bori-dancing."

I often saw bori dancing at the compound of Magajiya, (10) the head of the prostitutes, (11) they were the bori-dancers. Among married women you would find one here and there, but most dancers were prostitutes. At Zarewa when we were young there were many prostitutes, they had their large huts in Magajiya's house. A man who went to their compound would take one of them home with him, and in the morning he would give her a little money and she would return to Magajiya's compound. There was Lemo's compound, Magajiya's and Auta's in the Butchers' Ward, they were all houses of prostitutes. The prostitutes came to the town and stayed two or three nights, then they went and some others came. We used to see their huts full of men and women. At night if a thief had stolen something he would sleep with a prostitute and give her money, then he would flee so as not to be caught; but the prostitutes didn't steal.

Some prostitutes were the daughters of malams, some were the daughters of noblemen, some were the daughters of commoners; if their parents had arranged marriages for them against their will they ran away and became prostitutes. Then and now, it's all the same; there have always been prostitutes. Magajiya is their mother, when any of them get money they take her a little. A man will come to Magajiya and say 'I desire your daughter'. She says 'Bring your money'. I fhe hasn't any money, she says 'She does not desire you'. If he has enough money she will desire him. If a prostitute comes to her house without anything, Magajiya will help her.


1890-1904
Lemo and Auta had prostitutes in their compounds, too. The men were always coming, they had their wives, they had their concubines, then they went out and had prostitutes too.
Sometimes a wife, if her husband is away, will steal her own body (12) and go off to other men; 'whoever sees her going along the road desires her, he sends a message by an old woman: 'I have come to greet you. How is the master of the house?' 'He is very well thank you, he has gone away to work.' 'When will he return?' 'Tomorrow.' 'Ap. See, here are some kolanuts, here is some money; so-and-so sent them to you.' 'I'll come tonight.' Then quickly, quickly the wife pays her visit and returns. In the compound of his bond-friend the man will borrow a hut and take her in; his own wives would beat the woman if they saw her in his compound! If the faithless wife has a co-wife she will say to her 'I am going to visit my family'. The co-wife will keep her secret. A married woman may have ten lovers, or even twenty-then or nowadays. She will go and tell her kawa about it. They desire men and they desire money. I never behaved like that.

In the old days bon-dancing was prostitutes' work, but there
were some men dancers, too; there were two in my family, Dogo and
Dan Auta, my father's 'younger brother', a son of Malam Bawa.
Their bori was good, but there are more women than men.
I remember when I was about ten years old, after my mother
had died, a prostitute was chosen to be Magajiya and she was
installed in front of the Chief of Zarewa's palace; we went and
watched. The prostitutes all danced in the morning, then they went
to the house of Sarkin Zarewa, where he gave her a turban and
appointed her Magjiya. He said that if any man took a prostitute
to his house and did not give her any money, she was to take a
complaint to Magajiya, who would make the man pay the woman
her money