A Nigerian lady in Oman identified as Oluwatosin has cried
out for help, seeking to return home.
In a viral video, Oluwatosin who spoke in Yoruba said she
contacted an agent who promised to secure a job for her in the US. But things
turned sour when she found herself in Oman.
“Good afternoon Nigerians. My name is Oluwatosin. I am a
Nigerian from Ondo state. I am speaking from Oman,” she said.
“When I was leaving Nigeria, the agreement I had with my
agent was to go to the US to work. I had no job after I finished my NCE
program, that was why I chose to travel.
“The agent said he was going to help me source for a job in
the US. All of a sudden, everything changed and I don’t know why. That was how
they brought us to Oman. Myself and one other lady.
“When we go to the airport in Oman, two people came to pick
us up. They took us to an office and stripped us of all we had including our
passports and phones.
“They took us to where we were supposed to start work. When
I got to my place of work, my boss started to threaten and frustrate my life.
The first four months I worked with him, he didn’t pay me any salary. When I
called my agent to inform him, he said it was none of his business as he has
played his part. Since then, he stopped taking my calls.
“Seeing how things were turning out, my boss kept
threatening me to have sex with him but I declined. With all the stress of the
job, I wake up as early as 4 am and work all day until about 12 am or 1 am
before sleeping. My boss threatened that if I don’t give in to his request, he
would kill me. That was when I said I didn’t want to work anymore and that they
should take me back to my country having worked four months without getting any
money.
“That was how they took me back to the office and started
scolding me. They took me into a room and locked me in with some others. For
one week, we were not given food or water. Most of us were drinking water from
the toilet for almost one week before they came to take us to work.
“I have been working there for one year and two months and I
have been sick. I told my boss that I want to return to Nigeria but he said I
can’t return.
“Nigerians, please, help me. I want to return home. I’m sick
and my boss says I cannot come back. Nigerians please help me. I don’t want to
die in Oman.”
Although not mentioned in the video, D Rock Travel and Tours
agency in Lagos, was alleged to be one of the agencies trafficking Nigerians
out of the country for ”bogus” job appointments.
In an interview with TheCable, Adetimehintoye Ojo Peter, who
spoke on behalf of the travel agency, said the allegations are false.
“That is a lie, pure fallacy,” he said.
“My travels and tours have never engaged in trafficking
whatsoever. The lady in question in the video was a cooked lie.
“I think she has a guy in Oman who is propelling her. It is
no longer news to many people as many have called me and I’ve been able to
explain to them that she’s trying to create excuse where it is not necessary.”
Adekoye Vincent, spokesperson, National Agency for the
Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), said he has not seen the video
as of the time TheCable reached out to him.
But he said there are many of Nigerian girls who have been
trafficked to the Middle East — to places like Lebanon, Oman, and Saudi Arabia.
”We have been getting series of calls from them. In the last
one or two months, we’ve brought back not less than 15 of them and we have
rehabilitated them and reunited them with their families,” he said.
”Some of their traffickers have been arrested and we are
prosecuting them. Some others who have indicated interest to come back have
been profiled. Some of them are already in various missions but because of the
COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve faced restrictions.
”We hope that after the pandemic, we will see how we can
bring them back. NAPTIP is seriously concerned about the plight of these
ladies.”
TheCable also tried to reach Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman,
Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), but she did not answer calls to her
phone.
However, reacting to the video on her Twitter page, she
said: “You should call or tag @Naptip. Naptip is responsible for trafficking.
Not @nidcom_gov. But @nidcom_gov collaborates and helps out when it can.”
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everydayYou should call or tag @Naptip . Naptip is responsible for traficking . Not @nidcom_gov .But @nidcom_gov collaborates and helps out when it can https://t.co/cwXkZBy2H7— Abike Dabiri-Erewa (@abikedabiri) May 1, 2020
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Upon all the enlightenment programmes by Government agencies, NGOs, Churches and other institutions, can these people still going on this suicide mission claim that they did not know what they were going into? These are people that when you want to stop them or dissuade them from embarking on such migration they will tell you to your face they they will rather die there than be in Nigeria. Now it is the time and most of them don't want to die again. Even as she is saying all these a lot of girls are doing all sorts of thing to migrate in that manner.She may have heard stories like this from others before, but she will wave it aside that those people were not smart. Now is her turn to show her smartness.
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