How modern-day slaves are imported into Lagos.

Human traffickers are always a step ahead of law enforcers in bringing in their cargoes. LEKAN OLABULO, TOLA ADENUBI, NAZA OKOLI and AYOMIDE OWONIBI followed the traffickers' routes.

It would seem that there is a high demand in Lagos for house-helps 'imported' from outside the borders. Countries like Benin Republic, Togo and Cameroun appear to be the most preferred. As of 5.44 p.m. on Thursday, there was a total of 521 requests for nannies and domestic helps on a popular website, all posted between October and December 2016, with many indicating a preference for certain countries.

In the past, men lived in villages, in simple homes, surrounded by farmlands and domestic animals. The women did the housework. Little children and older girls helped their mothers in the kitchen, while older boys accompanied their fathers to the farm.

But that was a long time ago. These days, it is increasingly difficult for families in large cities like Lagos to meet up with the demands of home and work at the same time. To resolve this, working parents often find it more meaningful to recruit the services of house-helps who are often paid on a regular basis or rewarded in some other ways.

Not so long ago, it was relatively easy to engage the 'services' of close or distant relatives, or just a native of one's hometown. Parents who allowed their children to work as house-helps in the city almost always believed that their children would, through the 'opportunity', attend schools and, at least, complete their secondary school education.

However, what appears to be the trend today is the hiring of utter strangers, including foreigners from neighbouring countries.

Findings show that there is now a large market for house-help jobs in Lagos. The system is complete with agents, referees and registration fees. Only last year, the nation was alarmed by the troubling tale of a house-help in Lagos who absconded with three little children placed in her care, a day after she was employed. Even more startling was the discovery that the 23-year-old nanny was contacted through the Internet.

One of the posts on the website earlier mentioned read: 'Good morning, admin. Kindly help with a house-girl. I want an intelligent and hard-working girl, between ages 20 and 23, preferably from Cotonou or Ghana. Thanks.'

On another website, a user identified as HardleyC disclosed his payment package for his house-help who is also from Cotonou: 'My house help is from Cotonou. (I pay her) five thousand for transport, five thousand per month, and three months down payment. When she is leaving by December, her parents take the balance of N45,000.'

These domestic helps are of different sizes and ages, most of them girls. They come from Togo, Benin Republic and other neighbouring African countries to Nigeria to serve.

Some of them also work as sales/service girls and...