Another Trafficking Victim Repatriated from Cairo As NIDCOM Warns Nigerians Against Bogus Job Offers
By Rashidat O. Okunlade
A 41-year-old Nigerian woman, Mrs. Busola Victoria Alale, has returned home after enduring months of forced labour and exploitation as a domestic worker in Cairo, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) confirmed on Sunday.
Alale, an indigene of Ogun State, arrived in Lagos on Wednesday, April 22, and was received by Mr. Dipo Odebowale, head of NiDCOM’s Lagos office, on behalf of the commission’s Chairman, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa.
Her repatriation was funded by an anonymous philanthropist who stepped in after hearing her story.
Speaking on arrival, Alale described how her dream of a better life turned into a nightmare. She said she worked from 9 a.m. until as late as 4 a.m. the next day, often shuttling between multiple employers without rest. A local agent seized all her earnings.
Before leaving Nigeria, she had run a small frozen foods business that collapsed. Desperate to recover, she accepted what turned out to be a deceptive promise of lucrative work abroad.
“I deeply regret my decision,” Alale said, warning young Nigerians, especially women, to be wary of domestic job offers in certain foreign countries that often mask exploitation.
She thanked Dabiri-Erewa, the anonymous donor, and Ambassador Adesoye, Nigeria’s acting High Commissioner in Cairo, for facilitating her rescue and return.
NiDCOM used the opportunity to restate its warning against irregular migration and unverified foreign job offers. The commission urged Nigerians to verify employment opportunities through official government channels and called for traffickers to be exposed and prosecuted.
