Nigerian woman trafficked to Iraq, forced into 20-Hour workdays, begs to return home
December 18, 2024
By Ayinde Adeleke
A young Nigerian woman, Odunayo Eniola Isaac, has made a distressing plea for assistance after being trafficked to Iraq, where she was subjected to inhumane treatment, brutal physical torture, and degrading dehumanization.
Odunayo, who hails from Osun State, was allegedly trafficked by one Alhaja Yusuf Shakira, also known as Mama Uganda, who promised her a better life in Iraq.
However, upon her arrival in Iraq, Odunayo was subjected to deplorable working conditions, characterized by excessively long work hours of up to 20 hours daily, without pay.
“I was locked inside the house where I was working and my phone was seized. They seized my passport and all my clothes and everything,” Odunayo lamented.
“I was constantly beaten with iron rods and I was always made to work from 6am to 3am or 4am the following day. I hardly sleep for more than three or four hours daily.”
Odunayo’s family, who had been searching for her, eventually discovered her whereabouts and contacted Hopes Haven Foundation, a human rights advocacy organization, for assistance.
The foundation has since written to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora, Hon. Tochukwu Okere, seeking urgent intervention.
“We are deeply outraged that a Nigerian citizen, in pursuit of a livelihood, was subjected to such gross violations of human dignity and labor rights,” the foundation stated in its letter.
“We hereby appeal to your esteemed office to: Ensure the recovery of all salaries owed to Odunayo and demand compensation for her medical expenses and the psychological damage caused by this ordeal.”
Meanwhile, Alhaja Shakira, the alleged trafficker, has denied any wrongdoing.
According to SaharaReporter, Alhaja Shakira also known as mama Uganda claimed that she was experiencing drowsiness and weakness due to her high blood pressure condition when contacted for questioning.
Recall, The Yoruba Times has reported the case of mama Uganda who claimed to have gotten her travel agency license from Nigeria Government to traffic youngs boys and girls out of the country.
However, when contacted by SaharaReporters, the spokesperson for NAPTIP, Vincent Adekoye, denied prior knowledge of the matter, saying, “I am just hearing this from you now. Since you said an NGO had written to us about it, get in touch with the NGO, let’s have a copy of the letter they wrote that they sent to us.”
SaharaReporters said they forwarded a copy of the Hopes Haven Foundation’s letter to him, he acknowledged and said, “I will get back to you please.”
The Head of Media Unit, Abdulrahman Balogun, described Odunayo’s case as human trafficking, saying, “She is a trafficked person, so NAPTIP handles the matter. Another agency is the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI). Those are the two commissions assisting in such a case.”
Balogun also explained how NiDCOM handles cases of eligible diaspora Nigerians who have issues in countries where Nigeria does not have an embassy.
“Even if we don’t have an embassy, we have Nigerians and they form themselves into communities. There is something we call NIDO, Nigerians in the Diaspora Organization. They are always in every community, though that is the umbrella body. Some amorphous groups also exist like Arewa group, Oduduwa group, social-cultural groups, religious groups, students’ groups and professional groups.”
“We have been encouraging Nigerians to please belong to one group so that if there is a problem, the group will first rally around you and get in touch with us (NiDCOM).”