Nigerian Woman Trafficked To Iraq, Brutalised For A Year And 10 Months Without Pay,
The woman, Eniola arrived on Friday, January 3, 2025, following SaharaReporters’ story about her ordeal in the Middle East country.
A28-year-old Nigerian woman, Odunayo Eniola Isaac, trafficked to Iraq, and tortured for a year and 10 months without pay, has finally arrived in Nigeria.
The woman, Eniola arrived on Friday, January 3, 2025, following SaharaReporters’ story about her ordeal in the Middle East country.
Odunayo’s return back to Nigeria followed the intervention of the officials of the Nigerian mission in Jordan, that oversees Iraq, who took action on her case after the report.
Nigerian Woman Trafficked To Iraq, Brutalised And Forced Into 20-Hour Workdays Without Pay, Set To Return Home On Friday After SaharaReporters’ Report
Nigerian Woman Trafficked To Iraq, Brutalised And Forced Into 20-Hour Workdays Without Pay, Set To Return Home On Friday After SaharaReporters’ Report
In December 2024, SaharaReporters exclusively reported that Odunayo, who hails from Osun State in the South-West region of Nigeria, issued a distressing and heart-wrenching plea for assistance to return to Nigeria.
Odunayo was allegedly a victim of human trafficking perpetrated by one Alhaja Yusuf Shakira, notoriously known as Mama Uganda, who deceitfully transported her to Iraq with promises of a better life.
Having endured almost two years of inhumane treatment, brutal physical torture, and degrading dehumanization at the hands of her Iraqi employer, Saba Akram, and his spouse, Odunayo’s emotional and psychological well-being was severely compromised.
Overwhelmed with despair and desperation, she raised the alarm and implored the Nigerian authorities to facilitate her urgent return to Nigeria, lest she loses her life.
Odunayo conveyed the depth of her desperation, stating that if she remained in Iraq for even a short period longer, her very existence would be under threat.
Odunayo, who narrated her ordeal to SaharaReporters through a Nigerian-based human rights advocacy organization, Hopes Haven Foundation, narrated that she was trafficked by Alhaja Shakira to Iraq a year and 10 months earlier through an Iraqi agency identified as Blend Warani, with a promise of a job opportunity.
Odunayo, who was at the Iraqi immigration when she briefly spoke to SaharaReporters and confirmed that she was still alive, said at some point, her employer’s wife attempted to kill her with an iron rod and hot water but she narrowly escaped to a nearest police station.
According to her, she left Nigeria in February 2023 to work as a domestic help in Iraq.
Upon her arrival in Iraq, Odunayo was subjected to deplorable and inhumane working conditions, characterized by excessively long work hours of up to 20 hours daily.
The situation was further exacerbated by the constant and severe physical torture reportedly inflicted upon her by her employer, Saba Akram, and his wife.
The couple’s brutal tactics allegedly included the use of tasers and metal rods to inflict physical harm and intimidate Odunayo into submission.
In addition to the physical abuse, Odunayo was also subjected to emotional and psychological torment. She said her employer seized her phone, effectively severing her connection with her family and friends.
This deliberate isolation prevented her from communicating her distress and pleas for help to anyone who could potentially intervene on her behalf.
According to her, in July 2023, her employer falsely accused her of running away, despite the fact that she was being held captive in the house and subjected to relentless torture and death threats.
However, NiDCOM Head of Media Unit, Abdulrahman Balogun, had earlier confirmed to SaharaReporters that Odunayo was on her way back to Nigeria.
He had said Odunayo departed Baghdad via Egyptair for Cairo at 5pm on Thursday and was expected to arrive at Cairo by 6.10 am on Friday, from where she would head to Nigeria.
According to NiDCOM, Odunayo would depart Cairo for Abuja at 9am on Friday and was expected to arrive in Abuja by 1.30pm via Egyptair.
On Friday afternoon, officials of the Hopes Haven Foundation confirmed to SaharaReporters that Odunayo has arrived in Abuja and was in the office of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for proper assessment.
