A wave of concern has followed the return of 78 Nigerian victims of human trafficking from Côte d’Ivoire, as the President of the Nigerian Community in the country, Michael Emeka Onwuchelu, revealed that hundreds of Nigerian girls remain trapped in gold mining camps across West Africa.
Onwuchelu raised the alarm on Saturday night during the arrival of the returnees at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. According to him, Nigerian girls — mostly minors — are held deep in forests in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Mali, where they are forced into harsh mining labour and in some cases, coerced marriages to farmers.
He called on the Nigerian government to act swiftly to rescue those still trapped in these illegal camps. “There are camps with over 200 Nigerian girls mining gold in the forest,” he warned.
The 78 returnees — 75 adults and 3 children, mostly female — were received by NAPTIP, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Nigerian community in Côte d’Ivoire. However, some victims backed out of returning at the last minute, prompting the government to continue engagement to secure their safe repatriation.
NAPTIP Director-General, Binta Adamu Bello, confirmed that two traffickers have already been arrested and warned others to desist from exploiting Nigerian citizens. She praised Air Peace for its support in repatriating the victims.
Air Peace Chairman, Allen Onyema, disclosed that the airline lost over N400 million due to diplomatic delays in Côte d’Ivoire but stressed that rescuing the victims was far more important. He said the airline would also provide medical care for the returnees at Duchess Hospital.
The operation was partly prompted by viral social media posts from activist VeryDarkMan, who helped expose the trafficking ring. The government says investigations and rescue efforts are still ongoing.
