Jumoke George’s Daughter Recounts Harrowing Trafficking Ordeal In Mali

Adeola Omotoso, daughter of veteran Nollywood actress Jumoke George, has opened up about her traumatic experience of being trafficked and forced into prostitution in Mali.

In a recent interview, Adeola revealed that her nightmare began when someone approached her with what seemed like a promising job offer abroad.

“I met someone who introduced travelling to Mali to me,” she said. “She claimed she knew someone who owned a pharmacy and asked if I could go there to help manage the business.”

She accepted the offer without informing her family and embarked on a four-day road journey through Cotonou, Togo, Ghana, and other countries before arriving in Bamako, the Malian capital.

Upon arrival, the reality of her situation became clear. “When I got to Bamako, I called the contact I was given. When I got to her house, she said she’s my madam and that she bought me from my sister. She said I’ll work to pay her 1.5 million CFA francs,” Adeola recounted.

Refusing to comply, she told the woman she would rather die than sell her body. In response, the traffickers confiscated her phone and travel documents and left her stranded.

“I told her I can’t do it. I was threatened, and she said I was there for prostitution,” she recalled. “She later took me to a brothel. I told her I can’t do the work but could do other jobs to pay her.”

While at the brothel, Adeola’s resilience caught the attention of a kind-hearted man to whom she confided her situation. He helped her escape and got her a job selling food in another part of Mali.

“While working there, I heard stories and saw fellow Nigerians die because of prostitution. I didn’t want to go back home empty. I couldn’t call my mum or my kids because I was ashamed,” she said. “I told my roommate not to post me on social media if I died.”

After four years of hardship and fear, Adeola was finally rescued and reunited with her family earlier this week.

Her emotional return saw her embraced by her mother, Jumoke George, alongside the Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, and actor Adeniyi Johnson.

Reflecting on her survival, Adeola said, “I don’t know how good my mum is before God that made Him save me from all the evil that was about to befall me in Mali.”