A freelance reporter with a burning desire to uncover the
truth about a sordid backstreet trade, Ovuorie dressed as a streetwalker to
infiltrate a prostitution ring.
She took on the dangerous mission after a friend left for
Europe, became a sex worker, and died, leaving Ovuorie shocked and beset with
questions.
Today, Ovuorie’s remarkable story has been turned into a hit
Netflix film, “Oloture,” which has shone a bright light on one of Nigeria’s
darkest trades.
“I needed to do justice, to know the truth. I wanted to know
the process, the back story about these ladies,” the 39-year-old reporter told
AFP.
By dressing up, she sought to gain the prostitutes’ trust —
the first step to introducing her to a “madam”, a pimp.
After eight months working undercover in 2013, Tobore
Ovuorie emerged with a terrifying account about the victims of sex trafficking.
Some were sent to Europe, where they were coerced into
becoming sex workers. Others were forced to participate in orgies organised by
local politicians. Some became victims of organ trafficking for ritual crimes.
She published her story in 2014 in the Nigerian newspaper
Premium Times and Dutch investigative magazine, Zam Chronicles, inspiring a
production company in Nigeria to adapt it for the screen.
Released in October on Netflix, the story has been widely
watched and applauded in its home country, Africa’s most populous market.
“Sometimes investigative journalists in search of the story
become the story,” director Kenneth Gyang told AFP.
But in this case, the reporter was also “the torch that led
us into the lives” of victims, he said.
Disillusion
Sex trafficking is rife in Nigeria, in particular in
southern Benin City, a recruiting ground for criminal gangs who smuggle women
to Europe.
How many are trafficked is unknown but in Italy, authorities
say that between 10,000 and 30,000 Nigerians are prostitutes.
Several thousand others are stuck in Libya or other African
countries, often exploited by criminals who make them believe they will one day
reach Europe.
In the film, a journalist named Oloture, playing the part of
Ovuorie during her investigation, heads to neighbouring Benin with a dozen
other girls.
From there, their “madam” promises they will depart to
Europe in exchange for money (up to $85,000, 70,000 euros) that they will have
to repay once they arrive in Italy. Very quickly, the journey turns sour.
Instead of heading to the border, their minibus stops in a
gloomy training camp on the outskirts of Lagos.
There, the girls are roughed up and divided into two groups:
“street” prostitutes and “special” prostitutes reserved for wealthier clients.
On screen, the most gripping character is Linda, a young
uneducated woman from a poor rural background, who becomes friends with
Oloture.
Linda “represents many of those young ladies and how they
get in disillusion” said Ovuorie, who came across such a character during her
investigation.
For the director, it is exciting that the film is a success
in Nigeria.
“We have to see how to make this film available in remote
places for young vulnerable women who might be susceptible to be trafficked to
Europe,” said Gyang.
Emotional toll
On social media, the movie — and its ending — have triggered
passionate debate.
“For most of these ladies there is never any light at the
end of the tunnel,” said Gyang, “so why would you try to make a film that would
end on a happy note?”
Ovuorie said that what she saw and experienced during her
investigation still haunts her — she is trying to find the women she was meant
to go to Europe with, and tell their stories.
Her work has inflicted a heavy emotional cost, she said.
“I’m a shadow of myself, I try to smile, to look bright, but
most of the time it’s been just me fighting to hold onto life”.
AFP