On a sunny Tuesday afternoon in October 2012, a posh black Sport-Utility Vehicle pulled up in front of Mercy Akan’s aunt’s provision shop in Oron, a coastal city and the third largest city in Akwa Ibom. Oron is located in the southern corner of Nigeria. Two of the five male occupants got down from the SUV and approached her with vague promises of a better life in Europe.

Valentine Iwenwanne is a Nigeria-based travel Journalist with interests in development journalism global health, social justice and the environment. His works have been featured in Vice World News, The National News, Ozy, Equal Times and more.