Nigerian duped into job saved from traffickers in Egypt

After ten months of inhumane treatment, Idowu Adijat, a Nigerian smuggled into Egypt by human traffickers, was rescued by the Nigerian Embassy in Cairo.

The return of the 35-year-old mother of two was facilitated by the embassy in collaboration with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) after HumAngle's investigation into how traffickers lured her and two others into modern slavery in Egypt.

The report released in March highlights the plight of Nigerians trafficked on tourist visas and forced to work as maids in deplorable conditions for insufficient allowance to feed themselves or send to Nigeria to support their children. .

“The work was hard there because we were not treated like servants but like slaves. I have cried every day since I arrived,” she said.

On March 14, HumAngle wrote a letter to NAPTIP detailing the findings of our report and drawing the agency's attention to the neglect of Nigerians in Cairo. Days later, officials from the agency contacted HumAngle for details about the victims and have since embarked on a mission to rescue the ladies.

“I was contacted by the Nigerian Embassy in Cairo and went there to explain the situation to the controller on May 10. I was told that my case was referred to them by NAPTIP,” said Adijat in HumAngle. “As my passport was seized by my godmother and she was not willing to report to the embassy to avoid arrest, I received an emergency travel certificate. »

An Emergency Travel Certificate is a paper travel document issued to Nigerians stranded abroad who do not have the correct immigration status.

She added that her relatives were then contacted in Nigeria for ticket charges and an overstay fine.

“I was really happy when my wife told me that she had been contacted by the embassy and was ready to help him return to Nigeria. We have already heard stories of police arresting illegal migrants and throwing them in jail. I ran to my friends and family to borrow money and we were able to pay the ticket. I was really happy when she came back on May 31,” said Adeyemi, the victim’s husband.

The couple, however, are appealing to well-meaning Nigerians to help them find jobs so that they can repay the debt incurred when Adijat returned to Nigeria.

Furthermore, the two other victims identified during our March investigation and who are still in Cairo confirmed that officials from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) had contacted them on how to facilitate their return to Nigeria, and that a meeting was scheduled for next week. .