A Nigerian victim of human trafficking in Egypt has been rescued and safely returned to Nigeria, according to the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM).
The commission said she returned to the country last Wednesday after the intervention of the wife of the former Ogun State Governor, Olufunsho Amosun, who facilitated her return.
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NIDCOM identified the victim as Busola Alale, a 41-year-old indigene of Ogun State.
A short video of Mrs Alale was shared on X alongside NiDCOM’s official statement on Monday.
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In the video, Mrs Alale narrated her experience in Cairo and the unpleasant conditions she lived in as a domestic staff member.
“We worked from 9 a.m. to 4 a.m. We washed clothes, washed plates, and washed the wall. No resting,” she said.
NIDCOM noted that she moved between multiple employers within a single day, and that the agent who trafficked her collected all her earnings.
Mrs Alale described her experience in Cairo as bad and warned against embarking on such trips.
“People whose social media posts present the place as good are not telling the complete truth. They are mostly traffickers.
“A lot of children have died there, and their parents are yet to be notified. Many are in prison as we speak. Some have lost their sanity and are loitering on the street. It was a bad experience for me,” she said.
NIDCOM also stated that, before her trip, Mrs Alale operated a small frozen foods business, which failed.
Although the commission did not disclose the year this happened, it noted that the incident “prompted her decision to seek opportunities abroad.”
In a statement shared alongside Mrs Alale’s video clip, NIDCOM said Mrs Alale “expressed deep regret over her decision to travel, noting that the promises of a better life turned out to be deceptive.”
“Alale advised Nigerian youths, particularly young women, to be wary of offers of lucrative jobs abroad, especially domestic work opportunities in some foreign countries, which may expose them to exploitation and abuse,” the statement noted further.
The commission warned citizens against irregular migration and unverified job offers abroad.
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It asked that they “seek proper guidance and verify employment opportunities through appropriate government channels before travelling.”
Human trafficking in Nigeria is a serious and persistent problem, affecting women, men, and children.
Thousands of Nigerians have been victims of human trafficking over the years.
Between 2005 and 2021, the IOM registered 5,431 victims of trafficking from Nigeria; 84 per cent of them were registered between 2018 and 2022.
Out of these, 84 per cent are female, and around 16 per cent are male and children.
