A human trafficking victim, Oyinlola Solanke, yesterday, in
Abuja narrated how she escaped from Oman through sheer guts and the help of a
good Samaritan after 10 months of slavery.
The mother of two
and a graduate of Obafemi Awolowo
University, stated that she was lured to
the Arab nation by her in-law who convinced her that she could earn N150,000 as
a maid in Oman.
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OYINLOLA SOLANKA |
“While working as a maid, they don’t allow you to lock your
door when in the room. I was told I couldn’t lock the door while in the room.
Few weeks before I came to Nigeria, I was sleeping in the bathroom because that
was the only place I felt safe. It was the only place I could lock the door
behind me. It was hell.
“The experience I had in Oman wasn’t a good one. I was told
that I would earn about N150,000, which compared to what I was earning here was
better. There were a lot of things they didn’t tell me would happen.
“When I got there, my passport was taken from me and I was
not allowed to go out on my own. I spent 10 months there and it was just modern
day slavery. I had to put on an act before they permitted me to return to
Nigeria.”
She explained that she had to lie that her father was dead
for her to leave the country, adding that she got her friends to condole with
her on WhatsApp about the alleged demise of her parent.
“I asked some of my friends to chat with me on WhatsApp
that my dad was dead. So, I had to lie that I would return to Oman in two
weeks. I didn’t come back with most of my things. I still remember when I got
there, I told them to get a resident card for me, but they didn’t,” she
explained.
CAUTIONS
YOUMG NIGERIANS
Solanke cautioned young Nigerians against falling for the
promises of a better life in foreign countries by traffickers, noting that it
was untrue, adding that foreigners were treated shabbily and only allowed to do
menial jobs.
She said: “As a Nigerian and a black person, you can’t get a good job
there. When I was leaving Oman, I saw a lady who spent just six days and wanted
to leave because she couldn’t bear the treatment. She wasn’t sexually abused,
but she was over-worked, having to wake up at 4:00 am or 5:00 am and work till
1:00 am the next day.”
Solanke, who was rescued by the Erelu Eyinade Foundation, added:
“They won’t allow you to sit down for a second. When I
started having problems with my boss, before I contacted Erelu Toyin Mark, that
was when I knew I was alone on the journey. If not for her, I don’t think I
would be in Nigeria now.”
“I trained in taekwondo when I was in school and that was
one thing that helped me. My boss was a short and fat man, so I used to tell
him, ‘If you really want to have sex with me by force, you need to go back to
the gym."
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