ABDUCTION FOR RITUAL

Abducted for Rituals and Prostitution 

Mother’s most trusted friend, Mrs Laraba, was a very rich and sophisticated lady. She was loved by all of us because she was very pretty, young, charming. Each time she travelled out of the country she would buy us gifts and she knew that we liked that. As a re­sult I took a very affectionate likening for her and trusted her.  Aunty Agatha always spoke highly of her. To her she was the sister she never had. She visited her often and they shared many secrets. Aunty Agatha did not hide anything from her because she felt she could trust her, since they had been friends for long. Sometimes people mistook them for twin sisters.

One time, Aunty Agatha had to go on a busi­ness trip for a week to the Republic of Benin. She made such trips once in a while. Mrs Laraba knew all Aunty Agatha’s itinerary and she was aware she would be away for that week. Four days after her departure, on a Friday morning, Mrs Laraba came to the house while I was pre­paring to go the shop. She asked Betty about my whereabouts. She was told I was getting ready to go to work. She entered my bedroom without knocking, and even though I felt uncomfortable about that I decided not to be rude.

I greeted her and told her I was about leaving for the shop. She told me Aunty Agatha had called her the previ­ous evening to say she was going to arrive in two days time. She wanted me to see another coun­try so she asked Mrs Laraba to bring me along as she was going there too. I would then travel back with Aunty Agatha to Lagos.

I was excited about the trip and innocently asked her what I would need for the journey. I had a strange feeling within me, as Aunty Agatha would usually call to inform me about such trips but on a second thought I thought to myself that my new mother was a woman of many good sur­prises and this could be one of them.

Mrs Laraba said I should take a few things and since I would soon be with Aunty Agatha, what­ever extra clothing I needed would be provided for by her. She sat on my bed and asked me to hurry up, we had a long journey to make. I wore my rosary on my neck and took a few clothing, including my mother’s wrapper. I called Betty and told her I was going with Mrs Laraba who immediately intercepted that I was not to tell Bet­ty where we were going to. It was enough that Betty knew she was going to drop me at the shop. She was not aware of my journey to Cotonou.