Judith’s Story: Haunted by Madams' Juju
Judith na teenager when one man wen her family owe moni begin dey pressure dem say if dem no pay him go kill all deir family pikin. Hin also tok say odawise hin go must marry Judith when she reach age to marry.
Judith no happy with di situation at all. As she con dey reason how she wan escape di mata, her friend tell am say she get connect for Europe if she wan travu go work, say job dey yanfu yanfu as cleaner and so she go fit comot her family for di gbese.
Di friend con put judith in contact with one broker wen promise to arrange the joni. Di broker e go cari Judith travu under di condition say she go swear oath say she no go run with di moni wen she go make. She go must pay di moni wen dem take transport her enta Europe.
“Nai den con cari me go one village for Benin, den con give me oath. Even till today den still hold my pant. Con cari me go dere barb my hair, den con barb di hair wey dey my toto, barb di one wey dey my armpit, barb di one wey dey head. Den con gimme alligator pepper with some tin. Den con say make I swear say if I cari di woman moni run, say I reach dere I con dey see work or say di woman go come put me for work I con run leave di work say I no go pay di woman, say make dis tin kill me"
Dem assure Judith say she go get job as soon as she land Europe, say even many of di oda pipe wen don go don find work dey make moni and dem dey live beta life. Afta Judith begin di joni, she see say di joni hard no be small. First of all, she and di pipo wen gather travu cross border for Niger for okada way dey speed like mad just to escape police.
Dem fall from di okada many times and dem gas jump back ontop sharply otherwise di okada go leave dem. When dem reach agadez dem load dem put like sardine inside one pickup truck, and dem drive inside desert for 5 days. The joni hard and dem con taya, sotey judith sef tok say na by the grace of God she take survive di waka. When dem reach Libya, den cari dem put inside one place wen smugglers begin dey use pipo anyhow, esp women and girls.
“Den go come dey cari some girls dey comot. And once den come pick you, different men wen go sleep with you no be here. I con still dey pray say God abeg make den no select me for here, if den even select me for here my own don finish, I don die be dat one. You can never refuse when they are with long stick and gun. Everyday we were really beaten, it was hell for us. I was like oh my God what kind of horror journey is this, whats have I brought myself into"
Den finally release judith from di horrible place so dat dem go cross wota enta Europe. Di first time wen dem try to cross, di lapalapa wen carry dem burst, di second time di wota scatter, even another boat wen dey travel dat same day capsize and everybody wen dey di boat die. Na di third time dem con finally manage to reach Italy.
Den tell judith say she go need to pay one persin when she reach europe, and na dat persin go help her arrange work. So when Judith reach reception centre for Italy, she table the mata give one woman wen she meet for there.
"Nai she tell me say lai lai, say only work way dey as I young like dis na to go do ashawo. Nai I tell her say see di agreement, say I even take oath with dem and dey are still with my property so dat anytime I'm done paying her I can call any of my family members to come and collect it. For my mind I con say if I no go pay this woman now, say di problem wen i go enta. I fit run mad, anything fit happen to me"
Di woman con tell her say make she no believe that kind nonsense, say na lie den lie give am, say na ashawo work den cari her con do.
As Judith con reason di mata, she sef con see say wetin di woman dey tok make sense.
Now judith dey live for Italy, she dey wait for decision for her aduro application. When her friends for naija ask her how she dey, she dey warn dem say make dem stay away from pipo wen dey promise dem work for europe because all na lie.