A 27-year-old Nigerian woman who identified herself as Francis Julianah Omowunmi, who was trafficked to Iraq has made a desperate plea for help to return home after she was allegedly raped and abused by her employer.

Omowunmi, who said she was living in Ekiti State in Southwestern Nigeria, told SaharaReporters that she was trafficked to Iraq on October 7, 2023 by a friend of her sister’s husband.

However, she was syndicated to another agent in Akure, Ondo State capital, who then sent her to another agent in Lagos, one Alhaja Nafisat, who deceitfully transported her to Iraq with promises of a better life.

Omowunmi said her employer not only raped and physically assaulted her but also conspired with his friends, wife, and children to threaten her with death if she reported the assault to the authorities or her family.

She said the assault left her deeply traumatized and fearing for her life after her employer allegedly conspired with others to perform an unsafe abortion on her, causing severe pain and threatening to kill her if she spoke out.

Seeking help, she confided in her sister and a friend, who warned her to stay silent due to the risks posed by her Iraqi employer. However, when the pain became unbearable, she informed her employer’s wife, who took her to the hospital, where she was drugged and an unsafe abortion was carried out.

Speaking with SaharaReporters, Omowunmi said her employer raped her and threatened to kill her if she told anyone. Despite her sister’s advice to remain silent, she eventually told his wife after missing her period.

“He gave me drugs, saying it was for a headache, but I knew something was wrong,” she said. “I initially refused to take them, but when he threatened to beat me, I took them.”

She said that after the incident, she started experiencing stomach pains. Her employer eventually asked her to leave his house, saying he didn’t want to see her anymore.

“I packed my things, and his wife took me to her father’s house,” she added.

Omowunmi further explained, “They asked me what happened but I told them I did not fight with Baba because my sister had advised me not to tell anybody about what happened.

“The following day, they took me to the office and I explained everything to one of the girls there.

“I was taking care of two kids but when the fight started, my boss took the kids away to his father’s house.

“Baba came to my room every day and claimed he wanted to take clothes and gives them to his wife.

“That day he raped me; I was arranging clothes when he came in and stood behind me. When I asked him what he wanted, he started beating me.

“When I asked him why he was beating me, he punched my eyes. I could not record what happened because I did not know such a thing was going to happen.

“After my boss raped me, I explained to my sister that I felt like I was pregnant but she told me not to worry.

“However, when my boss’s wife took me to the office, the girl I told what happened told my boss’s wife and when she asked me, I told her the truth. The office said they wanted to do a test on me.

“I followed the woman to a hospital and after sometime, they brought a paper which I did not know what they wrote in it and my boss’s wife said there was nothing wrong with me. I asked her why I had not seen my period but the woman took me to another hospital to do another test.”

Omowunmi continued, “Before we went to the second hospital, they added something inside the water and gave it to me. When we got to the hospital, they asked me to sleep. I tried questioning them but before I knew it, I slept off.

“I did not know what happened again but when I woke up, I just saw three people, my box, one male doctor, one female doctor and I saw things that looked like they wanted to do abortion for someone.

“I asked what happened but they did not say anything. When I tried to stand up, I could not stand up again. I found out that I was feeling pains in my stomach. My boss’s wife took me back to her house but I was not able to walk.

“She was just giving me tea every day and when I asked what happened to me, if you said that I was not pregnant, why did you give me something and tampered with my private parts?

“She only said I would be fine. She said I should not tell anyone what happened and that she would make sure that my boss was jailed. She took me to the police and we made a statement and from there, they took the case to court.

“But now, I no longer understand what they are saying. Since the day they took the case to court, we would go to court and they would ask us to come back, that they would arrest my boss.”

She said that one day, her employer visited her madam’s father’s house and admitted to raping her. He pleaded not to be sent to jail and promised to give her anything she wanted.

“However, since the day we withdrew the case and came back to the house, my madam has been maltreating me. For six months, she locked me inside and said that I was smelling. They did not give me food,” she said.

“I have never felt well again. I kept having stomach pains and I can’t stand up and I can’t bend down.”

She said she called Mr. Damilola of Hopes Haven Foundation who helped in rescuing her and she was taken to the office.

However, though she was told that she would be returned to Nigeria, nothing has been done.

According to her, her boss brought one of his friends who compelled her not to tell the court that her boss raped her.

“I asked him why I should tell the court that my boss did not rape me when he raped me and beat me. I reminded him that the lawyer warned me not to lie or I will be jailed for five years in prison.

“Last week they brought one paper they wrote in Arabic language which I did not understand. They asked me to sign it. I asked them to translate it into English, which they did and after I read it, I refused to sign it,” she said.

She said she refused to sign the document presented to her because her boss and his accomplices claimed in it that she had fabricated the rape allegation to demand her unpaid salary.

They claimed in the statement they wanted her to sign, that she has always been treated nicely and respectfully by her employer and that she has abandoned the lawsuit in court.

“Meanwhile, they did not pay me six months’ salary, and I have also spent four months in the office [of the agency that trafficked her] without salary, and I have kids and family at home,” she said.

Omowunmi’s harrowing ordeal has again mirrored the dangers faced by many women lured into domestic servitude abroad.

Recall December 2024 reported how a 28-year-old Nigerian woman, Odunayo Eniola Isaac, who hails from Osun State in the South-West region of Nigeria trafficked to Iraq, made a distressing and heart-wrenching plea for assistance to return home.

Allegedly, Odunayo was a victim of human trafficking perpetrated by one Alhaja Yusuf Shakira, notoriously known as Mama Uganda, who deceitfully transported her to Iraq with promises of a better life.

But having endured almost two years of inhumane treatment, brutal physical torture, and degrading dehumanisation at the hands of her Iraqi employer, Saba Akram, and his spouse, Odunayo’s emotional and psychological well-being was severely compromised.

Overwhelmed with despair and desperation, she raised the alarm and implored the Nigerian authorities to facilitate her urgent return to Nigeria, lest she loses her life.

Sahara Reporters

The Chairman of the Social Democratic Party in Kogi State, Moses Oricha, has declared the party’s state congress, held on Wednesday by some aggrieved members, as criminal, illegal, null and void, and futile.

Oricha discribed the organisers of the purported congress as “faceless.”

Speaking with journalists in Lokoja on Wednesday night, he stated that proceeding with a phantom congress despite a pending case before a court of competent jurisdiction was a criminal violation of due process.

According to him, our tenure will expire in April 2026, and we wonder why the rush to conduct an illegal congress.”

He commended the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agencies for not attending the congress, which purportedly produced Ahmed Atta as Chairman and Abdulrahman Idris (Sofather) as Secretary, among other party executives.

“We urge the general public, security agencies, and INEC to disregard this purported congress organised by some individuals masquerading as party members.”

“It has just come to my notice that some ghost individuals, claiming to be members of the Social Democratic Party in Kogi State, organised a state congress today, Wednesday, February 12, 2025.

“This is not only laughable but also criminal in a modern democratic setting. These individuals are not only faceless but are also being sponsored by their paymasters — not just for their selfish interests but also to cause chaos in our party, which we built from scratch.

“The general public should not take these individuals seriously with their caricature of a state congress, which cannot stand the test of time because nobody knows them in SDP Kogi State.

“I have written to the Independent National Electoral Commission and copied the Department of State Services and the Commissioner of Police, urging them to disregard this charade called a congress.

“I am the authentic Chairman of SDP in Kogi State, and we will not allow intruders working hard to destroy our party, which we have built over the years. This congress, held today, Wednesday, is null and void and cannot stand.”

Oricha recalled that the congress of the present executive, held on April 9, 2022, under his leadership, remains valid under the SDP constitution.

Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, has shared his thoughts on the qualities he hopes to see in the next governor of the state after his tenure ends.

The governor made these remarks during a meeting with political leaders from Imo East Senatorial District, also known as Owerri Zone, under the Owerri Harmony Project at the Government House in Owerri on Tuesday.

While discussing the future, Uzodimma reminded the attendees that he still has three years left in office unless, as he jokingly put it, he is poisoned. He emphasized the importance of allowing him to complete his tenure in peace, warning against political tensions that could disrupt the state’s progress.

Uzodimma said, “I will not solve all the problems in Imo. I will address what I can, but my successor must be able to handle others. We need someone who values merit and can be courageous in the face of challenges.”

The governor reflected on the insecurity that marked his rise to office, noting that, by God’s grace, he had overcome it. He stressed that his successor must be bold, focused, and able to take necessary actions when required. “The person who will succeed me may not be a troublemaker, but they must be ready to fight if the situation calls for it,” he said.

Uzodimma also cautioned his audience about external forces that might try to sway them during elections. “Very soon, external forces will approach you, claiming you are the best candidate and offering incentives,” he warned. “But after the elections, they will abandon you. We must focus on the collective good, not just personal desires.”

In a lighthearted remark, Uzodimma added, “I am not discussing politics right now because I still have three years left in office unless, of course, you want to poison me here!” He urged the group to prioritize awareness, consultation, reconciliation, and unity as they approach the political future of Imo State. Politics, he concluded, should be pursued with love, understanding, and a focus on progress rather than confrontation.

Uzodimma, who took office as the governor of Imo State in a highly controversial manner, went on to win a landslide victory in his re-election.