Edo Sex Workers Accuse Migration Agency of Extortion After Raids, Demand Justice
Sex workers in Edo State have accused the Edo State Migration Agency of extortion following a recent raid in Benin City’s GRA area on August 4.
According to multiple victims, they were arrested during a crackdown on sex work and drug trafficking, then coerced into paying between ₦15,000 and ₦50,000 to prevent their profiling videos from being uploaded online.
Despite making the payments allegedly through POS transactions to an individual identified as Uyinmwen Uyigue the women claim the agency still went ahead and posted the videos on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, with their faces clearly visible.
One victim said she has been in distress since the incident, stating, “I haven’t been myself since last Thursday. They promised not to post the videos after collecting ₦50,000 from each of us, but they did anyway. I have proof of the money I paid. My friends and family called me after seeing my video online.”
Another affected woman explained that on the night of the raid, about 30 of them were arrested on Ihama Street. She said the officials detained them and offered a deal pay ₦50,000 and the videos would not be posted. She added, “My family members started calling me after the video went viral. They disowned me and said I brought shame to them.”
Responding to the allegations, Mr. Uyigue confirmed collecting money from four sex workers but claimed it was a fine from lodge owners, not the migration agency.
He said the Benin GRA Hospitality Forum had implemented a ₦50,000 penalty for any lodge-based sex worker caught soliciting publicly. “The money those girls paid wasn’t to the migration agency,” he said. “We met with the agency and agreed to sanitize the area, especially due to drug activity affecting our businesses.”
However, the Director General of the Edo State Migration Agency, Lucky Agazuma, firmly denied any wrongdoing. He stated that the agency is focused on rehabilitation and reintegration, not extortion. “We do not extort sex workers.
We’ve had several engagements with brothel operators, urging them not to harbor underage girls,” Agazuma said. He also revealed that previous raids uncovered cases involving minors and illegal oaths by native doctors. Some offenders are already serving jail time, including a couple involved in trafficking a girl to Mali.
This incident has drawn attention to ongoing human rights concerns and the blurred lines between law enforcement and abuse of power in the name of regulation.
