a response to cyborg who claims only igbos are bringing shame to nigeria.




While thousands of Muslim faithful from Nigeria, travel to Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage, or Umrah (lesser Hajj), and returned home after the rites, many female pilgrims would abscond with the assistance of travel agents to live as illegal migrants, popularly referred to as ‘Tikari’, engaging in all sorts of businesses to make quick money. Mustapha Isah Kwaru witnessed their activities while on pilgrimage to hajj, and reports.

Saudi Arabia has become one country where human trafficking is thriving with the influx of Nigerian women, men and youths, mainly from the northern part of the country with a view to earning a living through various means. Even married women are also lured to the Holy land with promises of juicy jobs and profitable businesses. The married women would therefore, break up their marriages and relocate to Mecca in search of greener pastures.
However, on reaching there, they were made to engage in forced labour in the residences of Arabs where they worked as domestic servants, beggars, road side hawkers or indulge in other unwholesome activities. They are also alleged to engage in prostitution, all in the desperation to acquire wealth that has been supposedly, out of their reach in Nigeria.
While some of the married women gave up their marriage deliberately, others do so with the permission of their husbands who would allow them work in Saudi Arabia to make money for their families. Reports indicate that the Sharia legal system is taking decisive measures against those men, for aiding and abetting such act, making others to have a rethink on the issue.
Although some of the illegal migrants live in other popular cities of Saudi Arabia like Medina and Jeddah, investigations revealed that over 95 percent of them live in Mecca due to its booming commercial activities. It was however, observed that a large number of illegal migrants from the neighboring Niger, Cameroon and Chad Republics also trooped to Saudi Arabia using Nigerian passports.
For instance, in January to February 2009, the Kano state command of the Nigeria Immigration Service, (NIS), took over the custody of 100 illegal emigrants deported from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA).
Parading the deportees before newsmen in his office, the then Comptroller of the Command, Mr. David Samuel, said 24 of the deportees were actually non-indigenes who were found to be nationals of Niger with Nigerian passports. Similarly, during the screening exercise of the Borno state pilgrims who performed the 2011 Hajj, immigration officials seized over 30 passports earlier issued to foreign nationals who disguised as Nigerian pilgrims.
Our correspondent gathered that most times, the would-be illegal migrants did not need to worry over fares to undertake the trip to Hajj or Umrah, where they would abscond as they were sponsored by agents based on the agreement that the fares would be refunded after securing ‘juicy’ jobs or businesses, while others sold their own belongings to fund their trip. However, on reaching Mecca, the agents would take custody of the migrants, seize their traveling documents and offer them accommodation, food and other basic necessities before introducing them to various ‘marketing’ strategies.
The migrants are said to be having a running battle with Saudi Arabian police who declared total war against them and are making it difficult for them to move freely in the city. Sometimes, they hid on hill tops to escape the police and other law enforcement agents. But the women often got temporary relief during the hajj when they enjoyed liberty to move about as the influx of pilgrims made it difficult for them to be identified.
During this period, the women sold either second clothing thrown away by Arabs or new ones which they bought to be resold to pilgrims. Other items sold include, praying mat, veils and so on. As early as 4.30 am, the women alongside young girls and little children would troop to the major roads leading to the Holy Mosque, Ka’abah, displaying their wares on pavements. Some of them sold Nigerian dishes at the various locations of the pilgrims’ accommodation. In an interview with our correspondent in Mecca, a cross section of the migrants narrated their experiences. A middle- aged woman and mother of four, Hajara Yusuf (not real name), who claimed to hail from Kano state, said she has lived in Mecca for over 15 years and engaged in menial jobs in the houses of Arabians, while during Hajj, she resorted to selling food to Nigerian pilgrims.
‘‘I have lived in Mecca for over 15 years and have not returned home since I broke up my marriage. I had sold all my belongings and accompanied a rich female friend to the Holy land, who was to introduce me to a lady who would secure a job for me. To my greatest surprise, I was taken to work as a domestic servant in the house of an Arab man. I told her that I was not in Saudi Arabia to serve as domestic help, so I stayed at home. The following day, she refused to give me food and threatened to send me away. Unfortunately for me, she had all my money and traveling documents so there was no way I could return back to Nigeria, I had no option than to oblige, she narrated.’’
For Hauwa Yusuf, though she regretted breaking up her six-year old marriage, she has now made enough money which she used to buy houses, cars and jewelries in Nigeria, while sponsoring her parents and other relatives to perform the pilgrimage. She claimed that all her children have been enrolled in notable private schools but she hopes to return home to establish some businesses in future.
Another woman who simply identified herself as Asabe Nura, mother of seven, and indigene of Katsina state said: ‘‘I have spent up to 10 years in Mecca and my migration was connected with the death of my husband in a ghastly auto crash. After his demise, I become helpless as I’m from a poor family and my husband’s relations refused to assist me in taking care of the children. When life became unbearable for us, I sold the house he left for us and used the money to facilitate my trip to Mecca to earn a living and rid my family of poverty. I didn’t bother to ask the kind of job I was going to do. I just sought the permission of my parents who gladly welcomed the idea and agreed to look after my children for me. At Mecca, the agent confiscated my traveling documents which he took to one old woman who had spent over 30 years in Saudi Arabia for safe keeping. I was then taken to the house of an Arab man where I spent five years working as a domestic servant. Every week the agent came to collect undisclosed amount of money that was supposed to be due to me.
Adding that “For three years I was not given a dime and when I protested, the agent threatened to call policemen to arrest and deport me back home. That was how I suffered until the fourth year when the agent said I could begin to enjoy my pay as I had offset the bill for my upkeep.’’, she narrated.
Asked how much she was worth, Asabe said, ‘‘actually, I thank Almighty Allah for making it possible to come here. Presently, my parents and children are no longer languishing in poverty as I have built houses for them all and all my children re in school, while I bought a car for the eldest one who recently graduated from the University and is into business.’’.
For Mrs. Rabi Sule, (not real name), who claimed to be from Sokoto state, her husband permitted her to come and work in Mecca for a period of only three years, but she had spent five years before going back home, after which she returned and moved to Jeddah, to make more money.

http://www.peoplesdaily-online.com/news/special-report/3000-trafficking-how-nigerian-women-are-turning-mecca-into-tikari-haven-

hence forth northerners should start paying for their trip to saudi as we no know what they go there to do, after all its not govt that is sponsering the southerners that go to europe to do the same thing.

Na wa.

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hmm!!!!!! you leave your country go holy land go do ashawo work .

Northerners in d east here are equally selling the evil powder that causes elephantiasis to my people. Lalasticlala please come coz what is good for the goose is also good for the gander

Lazy northerners....

I am saving this thread for the future