Omolola, Kwara girl stranded in Lebanon rescued

Chairman/CEO of Nigerian Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa on Monday said that a stranded Nigerian lady, Ajayi Omolola whose video calling for help went viral has been rescued.

Omolola, whose parents live in Ilorin, was tricked into travelling to Lebanon in the guise of engaging her as an English tutor.

Dabiri-Erewa on her Twitter handle said: ‘Breaking news. Update on the viral video of trafficked Nigerian girl in Lebanon. She is now happily in the hands of the Nigerian Amb in Beirut , received warmly and happy to be in safe hands. She will be home soon by Gods grace .

The alleged trafficker has been arrested and will be handed over to NAPTIP.The family of the lady have been traced ..Kwara Gov is personally on the matter. All hands on deck to ensure the trafficked lady returns . https://t.co/xQTKgX33SI

— Abike Dabiri-Erewa (@abikedabiri) January 10, 2020

She also said that the alleged trafficker has been arrested and will be handed over to NAPTIP.

The family of the lady have been traced ..Kwara Gov is personally on the matter. All hands on deck to ensure the trafficked lady returns. she said

Breaking news. Update on the viral video of trafficked Nigerian girl in Lebanon. She is now happily in the hands of the Nigerian Amb in Beirut , received warmly and happy to be in safe hands. She will be home soon by Gods grace .?? https://t.co/xyK0myZ7gF

— Abike Dabiri-Erewa (@abikedabiri) January 13, 2020

The Kwara state governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq speaking recently on the issue condemned the rising trend of human trafficking in the country and vowed to deal with anyone caught in the state according to the dictates of the law.

Abdulrazaq gave the condemnation in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye , in reaction to a  video footage which featured one Ms Ajayi Omolola, a victim of human trafficking in Lebanon.

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Omolola, whose parents live in Ilorin, was tricked into travelling to Lebanon in the guise of engaging her as an English tutor and instead of employing Omolola as a tutor, she was being used as a slave.

“The governor condemns this development in the strongest terms possible, and has immediately linked up with the security agencies to get to the root of the matter.

“We are glad to announce that three suspects, comprising two Nigerians and the Lebanese referred to in the footage, have been arrested in connection with the case and the suspects are being interrogated.

“Apart from Ms Ajayi, discreet investigations by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), in Kwara State have revealed that there are at least 28 other victims of this horrible trafficking gang.

“The governor is concerned that fellow human beings are engaging in another round of slavery despite the horror and unquantifiable loss of the 20th Century,” the statement said.

It urged residents to be bold to report any such activity they might know of in their neighborhood.

“He also calls for the highest penalty for anyone caught in the activity, no matter their class in the society, to deter others from engaging in it,” the statement added.

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ilorin arrested one Lebanese and two others for alleged human trafficking.

NSCDC Public Relations Officer, Mr Ayeni Olasunkanmi, said: “An arrest has been made of one Lebanese and two others. They were arrested in Ilorin on Jan. 7, 2020 for specialising in trafficking young girls to Lebanon for purposes of child labour and other related abuses,”.

He noted that the arrest was made possible through a coordinated intelligence, provided by the Kwara State Command of the NSCDC, following a tip off.

Olasunkanmi said the State Commandant, Commandant Bello Ale, had afterwards ordered a thorough investigation into the matter, with a view to unravel other syndicates.