A Nigerian female football fan stranded in Russia has now been forced into prostitution.

The female spectator has not returned to Nigeria eight months after the 2018 FIFA World Cup ended.

Narrating her ordeal to a Non-Governmental Organization in Moscow, the lady said she was introduced to the illicit trade by a woman who  claimed to be helping her. 

“She took my passport and my Fan ID,”  she said.

“I want to stay in Russia.

“Not to stay permanently – I just want to have some money, so that at least when I go back to Nigeria I can start a business,” she added.

It has been revealed that a lot of young girls were trafficked during the June 2018 World Cup.

Russian Interior Ministry reported last week that the number of fans still stranded had reduced to 5,500.

According to Evgeni Yastrebov, a consultant on immigration issues with Civic Assistance Committee, an organisation that works with refugees in Russia told the BBC in an interview, that many of those fans have been stranded in Russia and desperately in need of help.

“Many of them came from Nigeria, with some from Cameroon, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

“They were looking to apply for asylum and stay here and that didn’t work out and now many of them are getting deported on a daily basis.

“Right now it’s winter and it’s very cold and they need warm clothing. Some of them get money sent to them from home and some engage in unofficial jobs but they are underpaid and it’s not enough to take care of themselves.”