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Summary: During a routine journey to the Benin Republic, Ben Bright Friday, a 21-year-old Nigerian woman from Akwa Ibom State, was detained by officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) at the Akere checkpoint in Badagry, Lagos State. She was subjected to repeated sexual assault.
On Friday, January 16, 2025, a routine journey from Port Harcourt to Benin Republic turned into four days of brutal detention and sexual violence for a young Nigerian woman after officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) at the Akere checkpoint in Badagry, Lagos State, detained her against her will and subjected her to repeated sexual assault.
Ben Bright Friday, a 21-year-old woman from Akwa Ibom State, told FIJ that immigration officers intercepted her on Friday, January 16, unlawfully detained her through Saturday and Sunday, and only released her on Monday. During this period, one officer — identified as Makama and addressed as “oga” by his colleagues — brutalised, intimidated, detained and repeatedly raped her.
FIJ’s independent investigation later traced the officer’s phone number to the name Isa Makama on Truecaller, corroborating the name earlier provided by a source familiar with the checkpoint.
In an interview with FIJ, Friday recounted her traumatic experience with Makama. She explained that after being stopped at the immigration checkpoint in Akere, she endured days and nights of emotional torture and horrific treatment. She also detailed her ordeal in a separate video attached to this story.
STOPPED AT AKERE CHECKPOINT
At Akere, where there was an immigration checkpoint, Friday said she was stopped by some officers.
“I took a bus from Port Harcourt to Lagos to book a boat from Lagos to Porto-Novo in Benin Republic. However, upon arriving in Lagos, we decided to go to Badagry to book a boat,” she said.
“At the first and second immigration checkpoints, I passed through without any issues. But when we reached the third immigration checkpoint in Akere, Badagry, we were stopped. I was sitting in the front seat with another girl, so the officers asked us to get down and started questioning us.
“When it was my turn, Makama took me to his office. He asked for my name and age, and I told him my name and that I was 21 years old.”
BEATINGS, FORCED NUDITY AND SEXUAL ASSAULT
When Friday told the officers her real name and age, Makama said she was lying. What followed was a series of detentions, battery and rape.
“Then Makama said I was lying. He asked me to turn the left side of my ear, and he checked my ears,” she said.
“After that, he asked me to open my breasts for him. I started arguing with him, and he flogged me. He asked them to bring a cane and flogged me again.
She said the assault continued despite pleas from other officers, who repeatedly addressed Makama as oga.
“He flogged and slapped me. His colleagues were begging him and trying to calm him down, but he persisted.
“So, I opened my breasts, and he pressed them. He then asked me to raise my armpits.
“After I did that, Makama asked me to open my private parts. Even when I protested, he insisted.
“So, Makama started asking me questions. He asked where I was going in the Benin Republic and who I was going to see. I told him I was going to Porto-Novo.
“I also told him I was in the foodstuffs business. He asked where the foodstuffs were, and I said they were in the boats. He asked them to bring the foodstuffs.
“When Makama saw them, he asked again who I was going to see, and I said I was going to see my aunt. He tried to call my aunt, but the call didn’t go through. He sent a WhatsApp message, but I don’t know if my aunt saw it.”
FOUR DAYS OF DETENTION
Friday told FIJ that Makama detained her for four days, during which he repeatedly harassed and raped her.
“Makama kept me with him for four days,” Friday said.
“On the first night, which was on a Friday, Makama asked me to remove my clothes and go and bathe. I refused, but he insisted. So, I went and had my bath.
“After that, he told me he wanted to sleep with me, and I told him I couldn’t do such a thing. He asked if it was prostitution I was going to do in Benin Republic, and I said no. He insisted I was lying.
“I told Makama I would give him my brother’s number so he could confirm my story, but he insisted on speaking with the woman I was going to see because they wanted her to ‘settle’ them.”
FIRST RAPE
Friday also said that on the first day, after some time, the other officers later left for their room, leaving her and Makama. She said that was the night the rape began.
“After some time, the other two officers went to their room to sleep,” she said.
“So, I had no option. Makama kept me with him that Friday night. After he was done sleeping with me, he told me ‘thank you.’
“He warned me not to tell anyone and not to let the other officers know.”
AN OFFICER WHO ‘KNEW EVERYTHING’
Friday said another officer noticed her distress on Saturday and attempted to guide her on how to live with Makama.
“There was another officer. He was a bit fat with shaved hair. He called me and asked what was wrong, but I was scared to talk,” she said.
“He said they knew themselves and that he knew Makama was going to sleep with me. At that time, he didn’t even know that Makama had already slept with me.
“He advised me to tell Makama I was on my period anytime he wanted to sleep with me again.”
CUTTING HERSELF TO AVOID RAPE — BUT IT DIDN’T WORK
Friday said in a desperate attempt to deter Makama from sleeping with her, she deliberately cut herself, smeared the blood on a sanitary pad, and wore it. Nevertheless, she said this did not prevent Makama from proceeding to rape her.
“When Makama came back, I told him I was on my period and wanted to buy a sanitary pad. He said I was lying but later bought the pad for me,” she said.
“I was scared Makama would check, so I took a razor blade, cut my palm, spilled blood on the pad and wore it.
“When Makama checked and saw the blood, he said he still wanted to sleep with me and would use condoms. I begged him, but he insisted.
“So, I let Makama have his way again.”
REPEATED SEXUAL ABUSE
She said Makama sexually abused her on several occasions.
“Makama continued sleeping with me through Saturday and Sunday until the last day,” Friday said.
“There were three other girls there. Makama wanted to sleep with one of them, but she refused. He threatened to send her back home.”
That same Sunday night, Friday said Makama assaulted her again.
Continuing, she said: “I was tired. I was crying and begging Makama, but he said if I refused, he would take me to the office where they would flog and torture me.”
“So, I agreed.
“After daybreak on Monday, Makama called one Obi to take me to Panshi. Obi is like an agent or messenger who carries women around for Makama.
“Obi took me to his own house in Panshi, where I stayed for two days, before returning me to Mile 2.”
CONFISCATION OF PHONE AND GOODS
Friday also said her phone and the goods she was travelling with were confiscated by Makama and his men.
“The immigration officers confiscated my phone and foodstuffs,” she said.
“They didn’t allow me to communicate with my brother. They forced my phone into flight mode or switched it off.
“They said my aunt must pay a big sum of money before they would release my bags. Till today, my bags are still with them.”
‘OBI BOUGHT A NEW PHONE FOR ME’
Friday said Obi, who is the agent of Makama, bought a new phone for her after the confiscation of her own original phone.
“Obi later bought me a phone with a registered SIM card. I didn’t even see the SIM pack; he just inserted it,” Friday said.
“I got to know through the same Obi that my brother was looking for me. Obi said many were looking for me.
“When Obi handed a phone to me to speak with my brother, my brother was very angry because my whereabouts were unknown for days.
“However, when I explained everything to him, he became even angrier and said he would involve the police, saying what Makama did to me was child trafficking.
“Obi, on the other hand, kept telling my brother that it wasn’t child trafficking and that I was with him.”
‘THEY ARE BLACKMAILING ME’
On Saturday, FIJ called Makama twice, but his phone number was unreachable.
FIJ then sent him a WhatsApp message and also emailed the Nigeria Immigration Service Public Relations Office in Abuja for comments.
Makama later responded to FIJ on Sunday midnight at exactly 1:15 am via WhatsApp, claiming that people were trying to blackmail him because of the work he had done.
“I am the officer in charge of the Akere Immigration control post. I carry out my duties with consideration for human beings, just like myself. I am not the only officer at the control post,” he wrote to FIJ.
“I conduct my interrogations with video evidence. I am known for rescuing victims of trafficking and reuniting them with their parents. Those traffickers are now trying to blackmail me.
“I work together with the police, Civil Defence, Customs, and NDLEA, and they can all testify to this.
“That girl was a victim of trafficking, and I have her interrogation with me. Officially, I do not have to respond to you because of our ethics. There was nothing like that, sir.”
The NIS Public Relations Office, on the other hand, had not commented on the detention, physical assault and rape as of press time.
Editor’s Note: This article was first published on Foundation For Investigative Journalism (FIJ)
