A story on illegal street child trafficking

WRITTEN BY AKOLADE ADEBISI ADEWUNMI FOR

THE GLOBAL WELFARE ASSOCIATION GLOWA P O BOX 13 MANKON BAMENDA NORTH WEST PROVINCE- CAMEROON
UNDER THE UNITED NATION VOLUNTEERING PROGRAMME FOR THE UNITED NATION DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (UNDP)

INTRODUCTORY NOTE Men and women fused to procreate Loading heavily in the womb of a woman A woman with child give birth to a Child Every one troupes in dancing gyration Welcoming the new comer in a warm reception Inducting him or her with the freshness of smiles While food and drinks passed in heavy trafficking From the mouth to the waste region Child birth seems a free gift yet, child rearing is an uncountable cost Flow! Flow! Flow! In air, the trafficking of children too cost to claim Weakened by poverty, colonise by the myopic sight Yeah, the blood of the guilt falls: on the lust When the gain shall be a pain, it will be too cost to bear.....

CHARACTERS Mr Uzor Mama Caro carolina Madam Pepe Sons: Uchena,kingsley, Iheanyi, Udoh, Onyi, Paul and Ifeanyi Daughters: Carolina, Ngozi, chinyere. Alhaji Musa and the clients of Madam pepe Gateman Mr kofo Mrs kofo Doctor Comrado and the gang of armed robbers

INTRO Back in the village of umuete - a village in the south eastern part of Nigeria. The umuete village is very close to River Ndomu and the villagers were predominantly fishermen and women majorly engaged in fish selling business and other forms of domestic household activities. Mr Uzor was an old hand in fishing business, he had been a fisherman for close to three decades and he has a wife popularly called Mama Caro. She is a mother of ten, three of which were females and the remaining ten were males. Carolina was the first child and a daughter who is currently a junior student in the Community High School of Umuete. Mr Uzor also known as Papa Caro or the Hooker lived happily with his family in a hut at the village while proceeding well on his fishing business. He was all in all in fishing until an evil day when devil drinks blood. On this unknown evil day, the fishermen gather in their usual style, preparing their boat and all their fishing equipments. Singing in their normal chorus and chanting invocation to the god of the river. Suddenly in the middle of the river, the flow becomes turbulent and the all striving to save their dear lives. Majority of them got drown in the river, still swimming across in a rescuing mission. Some were unlucky as the old hand was held in the hand of the wet death. About ten fishermen lost their lives on that evil day. Mr Uzor and nine others were seen no more. No one can even trace the path of the lost in the angry water. Tears on the ground mixed with the flooded river, everyone caught in silence, silence by the loss of their loved ones. Oh! Weep bitterly, Umuete Weeps. The remains of Papa Caro and five others were recovered by the village youths the following day and were buried amidst tear beside the river. After the death of Papa Caro, Mama Caro got married to Poverty. The poverty strikes her and her ten children, Caro dropped out of school to learn a fishing trade and Mama Caro and the rest jostling for food which may come once in a day on a very good day

ACT ONE SCENE ONE (Inside the village hut of Mama Caro and her children) Mama Caro discussing with madam Pepe ( she was known in the village as a city madam who always help in the exodus of the village children and youths to the big cities in Nigeria, especially the poverty stricken ones) Madam Pepe: I felt so sorry when i heard about the ugly incident. May the Lord in His infinite mercy give you the fortitude to bear the loss. Mama Caro: (crying) Thank you so much my dear sister, ever since the death of my husband Papa Caro, life has been so difficult to cope with only me left to cater for these children. Caro has dropped out of school to learning a trade business in Aba. She will be staying with my sister there. Uchena and kingsley have been taking to Port Harcourt by their Fathers uncle. Yet, i am still finding it difficult to cater for this remaining seven. Though, Ngozi is expected to join her sister in Aba as soon as she completed her learning there.(crying Profusely) Madam Pepe: (petting her) Stop crying madam. Enough of all this, God surely knows the best. (pause) if i may come in, i think i can be of help here. If you will consider this, i can help you take Obinna, Iheanyi, Chinyere and Udoh to Lagos where i will be able to put them in a better school, with better clothing and all necessary things will be provided for them and they may later find good job therein and that will be a plus for the family. Aftermath, Onyi, Paul and Ifeanyi can later join them and live happily together if it seems well in your eyes. Mama Caro: (excited) mma mma Chineke. (to Madam Pepe) thank you very much madam, may God be with you and your family. May you not lose your children and His favour, His grace.... Madam Pepe: (interruptedly) enough mama Caro, enough of all these prayers, your children are like my own children and if I see any ways in which I can contribute meaningfully to the development of the family I need to do it without further hesitation. All you just need for me is to get them prepared because we must be on our way by the weekend. I want to take my leave now so that i can make arrangement for other things. (standing)

Mama Caro: (Standing to seeing her off) Madam thank you very much ma, my regards to your entire family ma. (Both of them exeunt) At the said weekend children about fifty in number were conveyed in a blue Nissan pick- up van covered with a black tarpaulin and were transported to the city of Lagos in the south western part of Nigeria.

ACT ONE SCENE TWO (In the city of Lagos) The motor got to the city of Lagos in the evening time and the children were transported to the Surulere part of the Lagos City, where the van drove straight to the house of Madam pepe. The gate man opens the gate for the coming motor to enter and on entrance the children were made to drop one after the other while some lay down on the floor as they were very tired to stand on their feet. They were later led to a large hall in the house of Madam Pepe. And they were given three slices of bread coated with butter each, aftermath, they were asked to sleep on the mat laid on the floor of the large hall. (The following day) Madam Pepe came into the hall with some people: Men and women of big look and status Children: (shouting) we are hungry! Hungry! Hungry! Madam Pepe: (passing in the midst of the children with the people) I just brought in these ones yesterday, I thought I will be able to catch up with you people yesterday but the motor developed a minor fault along the way. Alhaji Musa: Madam (pointing to Obinna and Iheanyi) I think I will prefer these two boys to be included in my own list. Madam Pepe: (pointing) These two, Alhaji , they were four that I took from the same parent and as I had promised to their mother, I promised to make all

the four stay in Lagos. And if I did otherwise, you know I have breach my initial promise. Alhaji Musa: (speaking in pidgin English)Madam, walahi talahi, me I go take these ones, because as I dey see them, they will fit well for cattle rearing business Madam Pepe: They are Ibos not Fulani Alhaji Musa: Does that mean anything, any child whether, Hausa, Fulani, Yoruba or Ibo could rare cattle it all depends on training. I will provide them with people who will train them on cattle rearing business. So madam, give them to me and I will pay you more. Let me take them to Adamawa. Madam Pepe: If you are sure that you can afford their price and meet up with the monthly payment that I will demand from you, no problem, u will take them to Adamawa. Alhaji Musa: No problem, I will pay, just name your price, I will pay u, just name your price... Madam Pepe: Alhaji, i will prepare your bill and (pointing ) you(Obinna) you (Iheanyi) and you (pointing to others) stand up and get yourselves prepared (calling) Fox! Fox! (Fox came closer) Take these children outside and get them prepared for their journey. (Fox took Obinna, Iheanyi and others out) I still have many others at my disposal and they are all good looking The other people began to negotiate for their own choice as madam pepe busy repeatedly getting them showcased so that they could be loaned at a price and returns being made on them every month.

ACT ONE SCENE THREE Chinyere and udoh were seeing in the different part of Lagos. Chinyere was taken to Agbado Ijaye area of Lagos while Udoh was taken to Badagry side of Lagos. Chinyere after being attached to a woman named Mrs Kofo whose ventures is in catering and restaurant services always utilizes the time that she supposedly to have been learning in formal education. Chinyere works as an apprentice in her tender age of nine with the woman in her restaurant attending to customers, washing used plates, fetching water from the public bore hole water supply. She normally accompanies the woman to the market sometimes, in buying all sorts of meats, food items. She works from morning till night doing all sort of filthy works for woman. While the woman paid a sum of Ten thousand Naira monthly to Madam pepe. She lives at the boys quarter of the house with the gate man.

Udoh on his own part, functioned as a street hawker in the city of Lagos, he was attached to a woman- who was involved in petty business as a retailer in sales of various brands of bottled water, drinks, cigarettes, biscuits, sweets, chewing gum and all forms of petty business. Udoh always run across taking traffic jam as an advantage to promote the sales of his hawking business in bottled water and cakes. He works from morning till afternoon staying at the bar in the evening to attend to customers till the closing time of about 11:00 in the night.

As Obinna and Iheanyi were taking alongside the other trafficking children to Adamawa - a famous state in the Northern part of Nigeria. The Major aim of Alhaji Musa their traffickers was to train them in cattle rearing business and make use of them in bush clearing for farming purposes.

ACT TWO SCENE ONE (AFTER FIVE YEARS) In the middle of the night, chinyere was sleeping lonely on her bed, when some knocks at her door. Chinyere: who is that? Voice: (from outside) Chi baby, open the door, madam sent me to you (Chinyere opens the door , enters the Mr Kofo. Mr Kofo is a husband to Mrs Kofo) Chinyere: Sir, what did you come here to do in the middle of the night Mr kofo : chi baby, keep silent! See, your master is fast asleep; I need to have some words with you. Sit down first. (Forcing her down) Chinyere, it is nothing but what I have been telling you all this while. Chinyere, you are beautiful and anytime I see you i always feel like....(trying to touch her) Chinyere: Sir, i have told you all this while, should madam be aware, I am doom, I have no relative here, I will be thrown outside, because, I am sure Madam Pepe will never accommodate me. Oga, please let me be, i am too young for that and besides i am a virgin, i have never do such things in my life... Mr Kofo: (interrupting) stop all that, tell it on the pulpit. You are a virgin, is it not someone that will deflower you? Why not me? And u said madam will throw your load to the street, who is the lord of your madam? Is it not me? Can she do anything if i did not give her such permission? Come on baby, let me take you to your promise land tonight by inducting you to the world of free sex and bet you, you will enjoy me. He tried to caress her and wanted to have sex with her by force. Chinyere restricted and in an attempt to preventing him from going down with her. She mistakenly hit him on his head with a empty bottle of beer that lies beside her sleeping mat. Mr Kofo falls down immediately and fainted, blood was seen everywhere in the room and Chinyere cried in fear that awakes everyone at

one. Everyone including Mrs Kofo rushed to the scene of the incident and Mr Kofo was quickly rushed to the hospital.

ACT TWO SCENE TWO (The following morning at the hospital) Mrs Kofo at the Doctors office Mrs kofo : Doctor, please how is my husband? Doctor: Madam please calm down, i specifically brought you to my office so that we will not disturbed those patients over there Mrs Kofo: (unstable) how is my husband condition? Please doctor tell me something Doctor: Madam, your husband had lost so much blood before reaching this place, and i am very sorry to inform you that we lost him. Madam Kofo became highly upset and started in a dramatic displayed at the doctors office, with tears running down heavily from her eyes like the falling water Chinyere was arrested by the men of the Nigerian Police Force as she was making attempt to escape, she was being investigated, while Mrs Kofo, refuted all olive branches being offered to her and she insisted that she must be prosecuted.

ACT TWO SCENE THREE Udoh broke up with his master after he was accused of stealing a sum of money from the purse of his master, he made his way out in the middle of the night where he met a group of armed robbers. The robbers stop immediately they saw him. The leader of the gang Comrado interrogated him.

Comrado: you stop there, where are you going in this devilish midnight? Udoh :(shivering) sir i have no place to go, i was just wandering about, i ran away from my master whom i was working with because she has not been treating me fairly since the time i have been staying with her. She maltreats me and finally accused me of stealing her money. Comrado: (looking through the face of others) what did you suggest (they all nod their head in unison) (to Udoh) young boy, we will make you great and have promised to assist you. Henceforth you will be working for us as our spy. (opening the door of their car) enter the motor and let us go. Udoh was made to enter their motor and they drove out in exit.

ACT THREE SCENE ONE (SIX MONTH LATER) in the premises of the court two cases were billed for hearing and final judgement today, the case involve the state and a group of armed robbers that were arrested about two months ago and the other one was the one involving Chinyere and the family of Mrs Kofo respectively. The Presiding Judge entered and the court registrar announces the commencement of the case

Court Registrar: the first case billed for final judgement today is the case involving one Miss Chinyere a fifteen year old girl and the family of Mrs Kofo. Chinyere was accused of murdering one Mr Kofo that lives at No 34, Oluti street Agabdo Ijaiye Lagos on the 16th of September 2010 at about 11.46pm. it was later discovered that she was a victim of illegal child trafficking in which one Madam Pepe and Mrs Kofo was joined in the suit. The Judge ordered Chinyere, Madam Kofo and Madam Pepe to be brought to the chamber

Judge: Having heard from the prosecuting counsel and the defence counsel, i mean the human right organisation that stood in to defending this young lady. Miss Chinyere. The hearing that have been going on for the past six month now is meant to be brought to an end today.(to the legal counsel) prosecuting counsel what did you have to say. Prosecuting Counsel: Thank you my Lord! Nothing I have rest my case Judge: the defence counsel The defence counsel: Thank you my Lord! i have no much to say, as i have always said this is not a case of murder as being alleged, from the confirmed investigation by the police and the testimony of the witness we will find out the girl in question suffers the pain of great abuse - first, illegal child trafficking and secondly, an attempted rape. She will have to defend herself, her pride, her societal value and her integrity. My lord, i pray this court to consider this and discharge and acquit Miss Chinyere Uzor and at the same time providing compensation of Twenty million Naira for her rehabilitation. I rest my case. Judge: Having listening to the hearing from both counsels and the plea by the Human right organisation. This court is putting it to you that Madam pepe, you are guilty of illegal child trafficking and Mrs Kofo, you are guilty of collaboration with Madam Pepe to encouraging Child trafficking. And to you, Chinyere, though this court understands your pleas, but will not exonerate you completely because the law of this land does not support any act of reprisal attack as means of defending oneself. This is my judgement This court of law sentences you Madam Pepe, to fifteen years imprisonment with hard labour. Mrs Kofo, this court orders you to pay a sum of Ten million Naira as compensation to the family of Mrs Uzor. While Chinyere Uzor will go to Six Month imprisonment without an option of fine. Arise.

The court took a five minute recess before the second case involving armed robbers that were allied of Udor Uzor. The case was postponed for about a week before the judge finally decided that the armed robbers be sentenced to death by hanging and Udoh Uzor be sentenced to a ten year imprisonment under intense rehabilitation. Obinna and Iheanyi were unlucky as Alhaji Musa enlisted them to be trained in the act of terrorism, they were later killed in the open fire operation between the men of the Joint Task force and the Men of the National Terrorist group.

The end of all ends is the end If we want to find an end poverty We must think about the end of the solution itself, so as to avoid the dead end.

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