Air Peace Limited has successfully repatriated 78 Nigerian women who were trafficked to Côte d’Ivoire under the false promise of employment opportunities.
The airline dispatched a Boeing 737 aircraft (registration 5N-BQV) from Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, to Félix-Houphouët-Boigny International Airport, Abidjan, and brought the victims back the same day—entirely free of charge.
Air Peace Chairman Allen Onyema welcomed the returnees, assuring them that the Federal Government would support their recovery and reintegration. He emphasized that President Bola Tinubu was pleased with their safe return and dismissed any concerns about arrest, noting that government representatives were present to receive them.
“We are very sorry that some people deceived you; you don’t deserve to be deceived. You are human beings like any other person, and you can be all you want to be,” Onyema said in a video shared on the airline’s Facebook page.
He urged the women to believe in themselves and reject any notion that success must come through wrongdoing.
“Don’t look down on yourself. We don’t need to do the wrong thing to become whatever we want to become. We are bearing you back to rehabilitate you and reintegrate you into the Nigerian society,” he said.
He further stated:
“We can have a President among any of you. Don’t look down on yourself, you can be a governor. We don’t need to sell our bodies to do anything.”
Onyema stressed the need to restore the dignity of the rescued women, affirming that they deserved to be treated with care and respect. He also revealed that the returnees would receive free medical treatment at Duchess Hospital.
This mission adds to Air Peace’s record of humanitarian initiatives. In 2019, the airline evacuated 503 Nigerians during xenophobic attacks in South Africa. In 2020, it repatriated citizens stranded abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Air Peace also carried out emergency evacuations during the Ukraine-Russia conflict in 2022 and in May 2023, airlifted 277 Nigerians fleeing violence in Sudan.
What you should know
Air Peace’s latest humanitarian operation rescued 78 trafficked Nigerian women from Côte d’Ivoire at no cost. The airline, led by Allen Onyema, continues its tradition of aiding Nigerians in crisis, with this mission focusing on restoring the dignity and health of vulnerable women deceived under the guise of foreign employment.
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