“According to her: ‘When the team visited Saudi Arabia we met with more than 50 girls who were interviewed and we were told that there were many more girls who were stranded in various part of Saudi Arabia. The victim who was veiled while narrating her ordeal in Saudi said she was deceived by a friend living in Dubai who connected her with a woman in Abuja.”
The Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Dame Julie Okah-Donli, yesterday disclosed that over 50 Nigerian girls were trapped in Saudi Arabia.
The DG, who also brought along one of the victims, said the team was set up by the minister after a complaint was lodged by NAPTIP about youths being innocently trafficked to Saudi.
According to her: ‘When the team visited Saudi Arabia we met with more than 50 girls who were interviewed and we were told that there were many more girls who were stranded in various part of Saudi Arabia. The victim who was veiled while narrating her ordeal in Saudi said she was deceived by a friend living in Dubai who connected her with a woman in Abuja.
She was rescued by NAPTIP through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “It all started through a friend in Dubai, she introduced me to an agent in Abuja.
I was taken for medical in Dr Wada’s Hospital, the agent promised that I would go to Saudi as a salesgirl and that I would be earning equivalent of N150, 000 in Saudi Everything was processed through an agent and when we got there it was a different thing entirely my passport was seized and started working as a house help ”When the condition was unbearable I called her and said that I could no longer cope, but she said I could not leave or else I have to pay N1.7 million before I could be released and if I could not pay I would have to work for two years.
so I contacted a journalist friend who contacted NAPTIP that contacted the Nigerian Embassy through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.” The girl who said she almost committed suicide before help came for her called on the Federal Government to come to the rescued of thousands of Nigerian girls trapped in Saudi Arabia “I want Government to assist those other girls that are stranded because of their ordeal in the hands of their tormentors is brutal, inhumane & unbearable, they can’t do anything without the help of the government & eventually they might consider taking their lives”
Mr Geoffrey Onyeama said there was a report that had a serious and a very negative impact on the country and the people, which made the ministry to set up an investigation team on it.
“The report showed that this is a real scourge and it is just too pervasive now in our society and a lot of work is being done by the NAPTIP which is commendable.
“Human trafficking is about trafficking beyond our border and this concerns the ministry of foreign affairs; we are also very much worried.
“We need to sensitise our country and our people and to bring the issues closer to home through a personal experience,” he said.
He said the ministry was in the process of having inter-ministerial meetings with all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to really address the problem and tackle the issue once and for all.
“We want to put in place mechanism to tackle this issue, it is a crime against humanity, our youths are suffering and it is not something we can tolerate.
“And, every effort would be made, that nothing would be spared toward eradicating this menace from this country and from the face of the earth,” he said.
