Following The Bureau Newspaper’s report on her experience in the Middle Eastern nation, Odunayo Eniola Isaac, a 28-year-old Nigerian woman who was trafficked to Iraq, is scheduled to return to Nigeria today, Friday, January 3, 2025.
Odunayo’s anticipated return to Nigeria came after the Nigerian mission in Jordan, which is in charge of Iraq, intervened on her behalf following the news.
Odunayo, who is from Osun State in the southwest of Nigeria, made a heartbreaking and sad request for help to return to Nigeria in December 2024, according to an exclusive report by SaharaReporters.
Alhaja Yusuf Shakira, also referred to as Mama Uganda, is accused of engaging in human trafficking, bringing Odunayo to Iraq under false pretences of a better life.
Odunayo’s emotional and mental health were seriously damaged when she was subjected to cruel physical torture, degrading dehumanisation, and nearly two years of cruel treatment by her Iraqi boss, Saba Akram, and his wife.
Desperate and hopeless, she sounded the alarm and pleaded with Nigerian officials to allow her to return to Nigeria immediately, or else she would perish.
Odunayo expressed how desperate she was, saying that her life would be in danger if she stayed in Iraq for even a few minutes longer.
Odunayo told SaharaReporters about her experience through the Nigerian human rights advocacy group Hopes Haven Foundation. She said that a year and ten months prior, Alhaja Shakira had trafficked her to Iraq through Blend Warani, an Iraqi agency, promising her a job.
At one point, Odunayo’s employer’s wife tried to kill her with an iron rod and boiling water, but she barely made it to the closest police station, according to Odunayo, who was at the Iraqi immigration when she spoke briefly with SaharaReporters and confirmed that she was still alive.
She claims that she departed Nigeria in February 2023 to work in Iraq as a domestic helper.
Odunayo endured appalling and cruel working circumstances upon her arrival in Iraq, including unreasonably long workdays of up to 20 hours.
Her employer, Saba Akram, and his wife allegedly subjected her to harsh and ongoing physical torture, which made matters worse.
Tasers and metal rods were allegedly used by the pair as part of their cruel tactics to physically injure Odunayo and coerce him into obedience.
Odunayo endured emotional and psychological suffering in addition to the physical violence. She claimed that when her employer confiscated her phone, she was essentially cut off from her friends and family.
Because of this intentional seclusion, she was unable to express her anguish and requests assistance from anyone who might be able to help her.
She claims that even though she was being held captive in the residence and repeatedly tortured and threatened with death, her boss falsely accused her of fleeing in July 2023.
