Oyo Govt vows to repatriate lady put up for sale in Lebanon

The government of Oyo State said Sunday that it will ensure the return of an indigene of the state, Mrs. Peace Ufuoma Busari, who was recently put up for sale in Lebanon on Facebook.

The Senior Special Assistant on Diaspora Affairs to Governor Seyi Makinde, Bolanle Sarumi Aliyu, stated this in the capital Ibadan, affirming the commitment of the Oyo State government towards ensuring her safe return.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Makinde, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, quoted the SSA Diaspora to the governor as stating that the state was determined to ensure that Peace and many other residents of the state trafficked abroad, are rescued and gainfully employed back home.

The statement indicated that Mrs. Sarumi had recently visited the family of the trafficked lady in Ibadan following her father’s death.

She assured the lady’s mother that if Peace is willing to return home, the state would ensure her safe return once the COVID-19-induced closure of airspace is lifted.

The statement quoted Hon. Sarumi Aliyu as saying: “The purpose of my visit to your family today is to reaffirm that the Oyo State government is committed to her cause.

“Since the day the Oyo State government found out that Peace Busari was put up for sale and she was linked up with us by the Director-General of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Hon. Abike Dabiri Erewa, we have been speaking with her. We got her contact from the Hon. Dabiri Erewa and the Nigerian Embassy in Lebanon.

“She explained her situation to me, how her boss couldn’t afford to pay her anymore and decided to sell her online and how another family took her in. So, she is working off the contract basically. Apparently, the traffickers made her sign a contract that she had to work for the time being or she would be charged $4,000.

“But the issue has been resolved by the Nigerian Embassy in Lebanon and any time she is willing to leave the country, she is allowed to leave.”

Hon. Sarumi Aliyu maintained that agreement she had with Peace Busari was that once the Airspace is opened, she would be flown back into Oyo State.