Abuja – Nigeria says it’s successfully rescued citizens who were trapped in what appears to be a forced labour scheme in the Central African Republic. Their passports had been seized for 11 months, which essentially left them stranded. The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) confirmed Saturday that embassy officials managed to get those travel documents back and are now working on getting everyone home all this after a distress video went viral.
How the Scheme Worked
Abdur-Rahman Balogun from NiDCOM laid out what seems to have happened. The victims were apparently lured with fake job promises and then abandoned without pay once they arrived. Nearly a year of unpaid work that’s what it looks like we’re dealing with here.
“These Nigerians were deceived and abandoned in a foreign land, forced to work for 11 months without pay,” Balogun said from Abuja on Saturday.
Taking someone’s passport is a classic move in these trafficking operations. Without those documents, the workers couldn’t seek help or even think about getting home on their own.
The Video That Changed Everything
The whole rescue effort started when the victims posted a desperate plea on social media. Multiple Nigerians appeared in the footage, describing their situation and basically begging for help.
“They are now urging the Nigerian government to intervene and rescue them,” Balogun explained. Once that video started making rounds, NiDCOM apparently moved quickly to contact the embassy in Bangui.
It’s worth noting how social media continues to be a lifeline for people in these situations though you have to wonder how many similar cases never make it to our screens.
Embassy Steps In
Nigerian diplomats in CAR managed to track down the victims and recover their seized passports. How exactly they coordinated with local authorities isn’t entirely clear, but it seems to have worked.
“It is gratifying to inform members of the public that contact has been established with them, their seized passports retrieved,” Balogun announced.
Now comes the logistics challenge: an eight-hour journey to get everyone to the embassy in Bangui. That’s assuming the roads are decent and nothing else goes wrong.
The Agent Behind It All
Authorities say they’ve identified whoever was running this recruitment scam. The person allegedly made all sorts of promises about legitimate work before dumping the victims into this mess.
This case probably represents just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Nigerian job seekers getting exploited abroad. The promise of overseas work can be incredibly appealing, especially with the economic situation back home.
What’s interesting is that NiDCOM hasn’t said how many people were actually rescued or whether they plan to go after this trafficking agent legally. Those details might emerge later, or they might not government transparency on these issues can be hit or miss.
By Kayode Ojo
