Ondo State-based youth representative and social media influencer, Oluyemi Fasipe has raised an alarm on the newly devised means of trafficking youths from Ondo State to Burkina Faso.
Fasipe raised this alarm on his social media platform at the weekend. He also posted voice notes videos and pictures sent to him by persons who had already become stranded in Burkina Faso. According to a voice note posted by Fasipe on his Yemiefash online WhatsApp platform and X page (formerly Twitter), a trapped Ado-Ekiti-based man who simply introduced himself by his alias name of Reggae, said scores of Nigerian youths have been lured to Burkinafaso under the guise of working for a gold mining company, Semafo Gold or Horizon Gold.
Reggae further said he realized too late that there was no gold mine job in Burkinafaso after he arrived in the country and after making payment of almost one million naira in Cefa equivalent for purported purpose of documentation and work permit.
Reggae added that he later got to know the human trafficking syndicate as Qnet and was made to realize that he would need to join the human trafficking syndicate by luring two other persons from Nigeria to keep the chain going.
The Ekiti man lamented his fate and the terrorist attack he narrowly escaped on his way to Burkinafaso. He also regretted that funds used for the trip were borrowed in addition to leaving his wife and three children to embark on the journey to Burkina Faso.
Fasipe, however, commented on his social media platforms that it was becoming highly disturbing that even university undergraduates from Ifedore Local Government of Ondo State were fast dropping out of school to embark on a wild goose chase to Burkinafaso.
Yemie Fash also posted pitiable videos of the living conditions of the lured victims in Burkina Faso. In one of the videos, 25 full-grown adults were seen sleeping in a small room. Also, the video of their feeding was equally saddening as the quality of the food clearly fell short of human consumption.
Fasipe has therefore called on the concerned government agencies such as Ondo State Government, NAPTIP, NIDCOM, NIS and the Nigeria Police to promptly wade in, and prevent more unsuspecting Nigerian youths from falling prey to the human trafficking net.