₦airaland Forum

Odunayo Eniola Isaac, a young Nigerian woman from Osun State, South-West Nigeria, has issued a desperate plea for assistance after enduring nearly two years of horrific abuse in Iraq. Odunayo was reportedly a victim of human trafficking orchestrated by one Alhaja Yusuf Shakira, also known as Mama Uganda, who allegedly deceived her with promises of a better life abroad.

Odunayo narrated her ordeal, marked by inhumane treatment, brutal physical torture, and relentless dehumanization at the hands of her employer, Saba Akram, and his wife. She implored Nigerian authorities to intervene immediately, fearing that her life is at risk if she remains in Iraq.

"I am certain I will lose my life if I stay here any longer," Odunayo tearfully recounted through Hopes Haven Foundation, a Nigerian-based human rights advocacy organization.

A Tragic Journey of Betrayal and Exploitation

In February 2023, Odunayo left Nigeria after being lured by Alhaja Shakira and an Iraqi agency, Blend Warani, with the promise of a domestic job opportunity. However, upon arrival in Iraq, Odunayo was subjected to harrowing working conditions. Forced to work up to 20 hours daily with minimal sleep, her plight was further compounded by the severe physical abuse inflicted by her employers.

Odunayo alleged that her employer’s wife once attempted to kill her by attacking her with an iron rod and hot water. She narrowly escaped to a nearby police station, where she has been detained since.

She revealed how her passport, clothes, and phone were seized upon arrival, cutting off all communication with her family and isolating her from any help. Her wages for nearly two years of work have not been paid, and she has been accused falsely of attempting to escape.

“I was locked inside the house where I worked, and my phone was seized. They beat me with iron rods constantly and made me work from 6 a.m. to 3 or 4 a.m. the following day. I hardly slept for more than three or four hours daily,” she lamented.

Desperate Escape and Ongoing Trauma

In July 2023, her employer falsely accused her of fleeing, prompting the Blend Warani agency to refund the employer and abandon her to her fate. Despite enduring unspeakable suffering, Odunayo managed to flee to a police station after narrowly surviving another attack.

From the Iraqi immigration center, where she remains under unclear circumstances, Odunayo said, “I want to go back home to Nigeria, but my employer has my passport and belongings. For almost two years, I have not been paid anything.”

Her family, concerned for her safety, contacted Hopes Haven Foundation in October 2023. The foundation’s investigation uncovered a disturbing video of Odunayo in distress, circulating on WhatsApp. The organization wrote 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, for urgent intervention.

Advocacy Efforts and Call for Justice

Hopes Haven Foundation described Odunayo’s ordeal as a glaring example of human rights violations, labor exploitation, and trafficking. In its letters to NAPTIP and Hon. Okere, the foundation demanded swift action, including:

Recovery of all wages owed to Odunayo and compensation for medical and psychological damages.
Accountability for her employers for torture, false allegations, and labor law violations.
Facilitation of Odunayo’s safe return to Nigeria and support for her reintegration.

“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 letter stated.

The foundation urged NAPTIP to ensure justice while highlighting the need for stronger protections for Nigerians seeking employment abroad.

Responses from Authorities

When SaharaReporters contacted Alhaja Shakira for clarification on Odunayo’s plight and her role in the trafficking operation, she claimed to be unwell due to high blood pressure and promised to provide documentation later. However, despite follow-up inquiries, she failed to respond further.

The Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) acknowledged the case as human trafficking, noting that NAPTIP and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) are responsible for such matters. NiDCOM’s Head of Media Unit, Abdulrahman Balogun, emphasized the importance of Nigerians abroad belonging to organized groups, such as the Nigerians in Diaspora Organization (NIDO), to facilitate assistance in times of crisis.

NAPTIP’s spokesperson, Vincent Adekoye, expressed unawareness of the matter but pledged to act after receiving details. He acknowledged a letter from Hopes Haven Foundation and promised to follow up.

A Grim Reminder

Odunayo’s ordeal underscores the perils faced by victims of human trafficking and the urgent need for stringent measures to protect vulnerable Nigerians. Her case remains a disturbing testament to the exploitation faced by many in search of better opportunities abroad.

Hopes Haven Foundation and concerned authorities are rallying to ensure her safe return and justice for the abuses she suffered.

Source: The Bureau Newspaper

She should move to Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey or Syria. They all share border with Iraq.

Iraq have been facing war since 2002-2003, yet I've never seen or heard of any Iraqis running to Nigeria or any Africa country.

But our people, everything is abroad to them. Madam Abike should stop wasting her energy to bring anyone back home.

Really sad.

I don't have any pity for people that migrate from Nigerian without any investigation on the country they are moving to, ooh Nigerian is a zoo and nothing good is coming out from Nigerian. Of all place on earth which right thinking person will even migrate to irag. As we are speaking on this other Nigerian are still on their way to such country, let them face the consequences of their actions.

Muhammed will save her

Frigga13:
All this Yoruba girls … giving Nigeria bad name ..

Now dey shout … save me

I tire

Oga, you talk too much.

If you were part of a intelligence secret agency like FBI or CIA, you would be useless to them, Dem for don kill you throway since.

You too talk..

That name alone "Iraq" should have been a warning sign but ignorance and poverty made her to ignore, thinking that everywhere outside Nigeria is "abroad".

Dalohad:
Oga, you talk too much. If you were part of a intelligence secret agency like FBI or CIA, you would be useless to them, Dem for don kill you throway since.

You too talk..

But when you guys talk about other tribes, you talk less?

No tribe insult or troll like your people

This is where you need Abuike Dabere.

How any black will traffic their fellow black to a wicked and racist country like Iraq or Libya is beyond my comprehension! As if the trafficker didn’t know what the girl will go through! Though the girl was ignorant, that still doesn’t give anyone the right to take advantage of her!

Arabs generally see blacks as sub-human and only fit for servitude or slavery, and unstable countries like Libya and Iraq are amongst the worst! Ever wondered why when there’s a news report on unrest or political issues in a Arab/Middle-East country and they’re showing scenes of crowds out on the streets or interviewing people, you hardly see a black face amongst them!? Even North-African countries that are in Africa, where you’d expect there should at least be a handful of blacks in their society (politics, governance, business, etc), it’s the same thing!

Going back to the issue of black man’s stupidity and inhumanity to their fellow black, you can now begin to understand why the slave trade of blacks was so successful and went on for centuries! We found our black ass enslaved in the New World and the Middle East partly (if not mainly) because of our stupidity and wickedness to our fellow black!

madridguy:
She should move to Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey or Syria. They all share border with Iraq.

Iraq have been facing war since 2002-2003, yet I've never seen or heard of any Iraqis running to Nigeria or any Africa country.

But our people, everything is abroad to them. Madam Abike should stop wasting her energy to bring anyone back home.

In 2021 my good friend who owned a small car bumper and mirror repair shop in Okigwe informed me of his ill fated decision to seek greener pastures in Libya of all places on earth.
I pleaded with him to have a change of heart and insisted it’s a decision he will definitely regret but of course I couldn’t succeed to persuade him against his travel. I even asked him to sign his death warrant and handover to his family.
The journey to Libya through the desert took 3 weeks before arriving his final destination. I already feared the worst during this time. Well, he reached out to me after 3 weeks.
He immediately started his trade in Libya, at first praising the country in many areas like constant electricity but soon began to see Libya for what it really was - a lawless country.
He did make some money as the Libya Dinar is about 10x of Naira.
I advised to gather whatever he has and return to Nigeria especially since last year but he kept refusing and procrastinating until some months back, his job was demolished and he was rendered jobless for months.
We speak weekly but I was too busy last week and I didn’t call or hear from him only for the wife to call me today informing me that my friend has been arrested and sent to a prison in Libya of all places.
Only recently I made contact with someone another friend in Kuwait who say he can assist him with work permit and job in Kuwait. Just hope Kuwait is nothing like Libya.
But now in detention, not sure what the future holds out for him. I just pray he returns Nigeria alive at the least.

Immatex:
In 2021 my good friend who owned a small car bumper and mirror repair shop in Okigwe informed me of his ill fated decision to seek greener pastures in Libya of all places on earth.
I pleaded with him to have a change of heart and insisted it’s a decision he will definitely regret but of course I couldn’t succeed to persuade him against his travel. I even asked him to sign his death warrant and handover to his family.
The journey to Libya through the desert took 3 weeks before arriving his final destination. I already feared the worst during this time. Well, he reached out to me after 3 weeks.
He immediately started his trade in Libya, at first praising the country in many areas like constant electricity but soon began to see Libya for what it really was - a lawless country.
He did make some money as the Libya Dinar is about 10x of Naira.
I advised to gather whatever he has and return to Nigeria especially since last year but he kept refusing and procrastinating until some months back, his job was demolished and he was rendered jobless for months.
We speak weekly but I was too busy last week and I didn’t call or hear from him only for the wife to call me today informing me that my friend has been arrested and sent to a prison in Libya of all places.
Only recently I made contact with someone another friend in Kuwait who say he can assist him with work permit and job in Kuwait. Just hope Kuwait is nothing like Libya.
But now in detention, not sure what the future holds out for him. I just pray he returns Nigeria alive at the least.

Person dey jail for Libya, you dey secure job for am for Kuwait?

Zonefree:
Person dey jail for Libya, you dey secure job for am for Kuwait?

That was before the news of his arrest reached me today

The level of wickedness in the average Arab is very severe.

That's why Israel has no option but to deal with them with a heavy hand.

See forget Nigerians wicked. When we journeyed through Kano to Niger to Duruku heading to Agadez to Gathron to Shabhad to Tripoli through the deserts in hazy sun and wind. Na that time I know say Nigerians wicked especially these people called Alhaja and Alhaji. Guy fear them.

16 of us left Niger, when we got to Shabhad we were only 13. We hear word for that place.


Tueh

tojahh:
See forget Nigerians wicked. When we journeyed through Kano to Niger to Duruku heading to Agadez to Gathron to Shabhad to Tripoli through the deserts in hazy sun and wind. Na that time I know say Nigerians wicked especially these people called Alhaja and Alhaji. Guy fear them.

16 of us left Niger, when we got to Shabhad we were only 13. We hear word for that place.


Tueh

Woah! Do you mind sharing this interesting story?

Editorialtimes:
Woah! Do you mind sharing this interesting story?

Of course but time is not good for me now

Dalohad:
Oga, you talk too much.

If you were part of a intelligence secret agency like FBI or CIA, you would be useless to them, Dem for don kill you throway since.

You too talk..

because he said the truth?

We can see why transatlantic slave trade thrived. Evil black peoples like this were collaborators

Muslim-Muslim Ticket

😫

Na wa

For.me to migrate to your country, under any circumstances, English must be the nation's language!

How can a Nigerian do this to her fellow. The saying that an average black man is possible might be true.

So if I may ask, where are you now? Nigeria or Europe?

tojahh:
See forget Nigerians wicked. When we journeyed through Kano to Niger to Duruku heading to Agadez to Gathron to Shabhad to Tripoli through the deserts in hazy sun and wind. Na that time I know say Nigerians wicked especially these people called Alhaja and Alhaji. Guy fear them.

16 of us left Niger, when we got to Shabhad we were only 13. We hear word for that place.


Tueh

Just imagine someone who is already doing something and managing his life decided to sell everything to end up in a jail in Libya.

This is a country of no active leaders since the fall of Ghadaffi. I hope the people that arrested your friend are the real authority and not slave traders.

Immatex:
In 2021 my good friend who owned a small car bumper and mirror repair shop in Okigwe informed me of his ill fated decision to seek greener pastures in Libya of all places on earth.
I pleaded with him to have a change of heart and insisted it’s a decision he will definitely regret but of course I couldn’t succeed to persuade him against his travel. I even asked him to sign his death warrant and handover to his family.
The journey to Libya through the desert took 3 weeks before arriving his final destination. I already feared the worst during this time. Well, he reached out to me after 3 weeks.
He immediately started his trade in Libya, at first praising the country in many areas like constant electricity but soon began to see Libya for what it really was - a lawless country.
He did make some money as the Libya Dinar is about 10x of Naira.
I advised to gather whatever he has and return to Nigeria especially since last year but he kept refusing and procrastinating until some months back, his job was demolished and he was rendered jobless for months.
We speak weekly but I was too busy last week and I didn’t call or hear from him only for the wife to call me today informing me that my friend has been arrested and sent to a prison in Libya of all places.
Only recently I made contact with someone another friend in Kuwait who say he can assist him with work permit and job in Kuwait. Just hope Kuwait is nothing like Libya.
But now in detention, not sure what the future holds out for him. I just pray he returns Nigeria alive at the least.

ednut1:
We can see why transatlantic slave trade thrived. Evil black peoples like this were collaborators

Matter of fact. All slave trades! There were always sell outs.

Editorialtimes:
Odunayo Eniola Isaac, a young Nigerian woman from Osun State, South-West Nigeria, has issued a desperate plea for assistance after enduring nearly two years of horrific abuse in Iraq. Odunayo was reportedly a victim of human trafficking orchestrated by one Alhaja Yusuf Shakira, also known as Mama Uganda, who allegedly deceived her with promises of a better life abroad.

Odunayo narrated her ordeal, marked by inhumane treatment, brutal physical torture, and relentless dehumanization at the hands of her employer, Saba Akram, and his wife. She implored Nigerian authorities to intervene immediately, fearing that her life is at risk if she remains in Iraq.

Odunayo’s ordeal underscores the perils faced by victims of human trafficking and the urgent need for stringent measures to protect vulnerable Nigerians. Her case remains a disturbing testament to the exploitation faced by many in search of better opportunities abroad.

Hopes Haven Foundation and concerned authorities are rallying to ensure her safe return and justice for the abuses she suffered.

Source: The Bureau Newspaper

u SEEN life wey hard pass TPAIN?
if no be AMERICA (US oor CANADA, etc, EUROPE, UK) u wan japa too, my BRO & SIS, UNPACK that BAG NOW!
even the aforementioned country get shege PROMAX, talkless those ones una dey enter

Foolish girl, good for her

Na wa

Abike Dabiri won't see this one. She prefers issuing useless congratulatory messages.