Three Nigerian women detained in Karada Prison, Baghdad, Iraq, have urgently called on the Nigerian government for immediate intervention to facilitate their return home. The women, identified as Adetunji Opeyemi Elizabeth, 36, Aladetan Rachael Tinuola, 28, and Adebayo Blessing Favour, 24, were arrested for lacking residence permits.
In a phone interview arranged by the Nigeria-based human rights group Hopes Haven Foundation, the women clarified that they were not trafficked to Iraq but had traveled there willingly in search of better opportunities. Adetunji, a graduate who has struggled to find work in Nigeria since 2013, explained that her visa was processed by a trusted agent named Adekunle Oladiola. However, upon their arrival in Iraq, they encountered an agency whose name they could not identify due to language barriers.
The agency provided them with temporary jobs, including caregiving and salon work. Unfortunately, Adetunji reported facing unsafe working conditions and threats from her employer, which led her to return to the agency’s office. To her dismay, the office later closed down, leaving her without a job or accommodation. The women were arrested in September 2024 for not having residence permits. Despite their willingness to return to Nigeria and their offer to fund their own tickets, immigration authorities have reportedly delayed the process.
Adetunji described the prison conditions as challenging, citing poor food quality that has adversely affected their health. “Sometimes they bring spoiled food. I go days without eating because I can’t cope,” she lamented, adding that she suffers from severe back pain and requires medical assistance.
The plight of these women highlights the difficulties faced by Nigerian migrants in countries without Nigerian embassies, such as Iraq. While Nigerian embassies in neighboring countries often provide support, the absence of direct representation in Iraq has left the detained women feeling isolated. Adetunji has made a heartfelt appeal to the Nigerian government to expedite their repatriation, emphasizing her deteriorating health and the unsafe conditions they are enduring in detention.
Comments are closed for this story.