Victor EzejaLeading Nigerian airline, Air Peace, on Saturday, 10 May 2025, evacuated not less than 78 Nigerian women who were victims of human trafficking in Côte d’Ivoire back to Nigeria.
The airline operated the flight with its wide-body Boeing 737 aircraft with registration 5n-BQV. It left the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, at 2pm Nigerian time to Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe plane, which could accommodate 130 passengers, returned to Lagos at 10pm, bringing home the women, many of whom had horrific tales of exploitation.
It would be recalled that Chairman and CEO of Air Peace, Dr Allen Onyema, had in April promised to repatriate the trafficked women free of charge. Aside from free flight, Dr Onyema also pledged to offer the victims medical and psychosocial support upon their return to Nigeria.
The issue of the trafficked Nigerian women trapped in Côte d’Ivoire was brought to his attention after the popular activist, Martin Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, raised the alarm on social media.
Air Peace, the Office of the Chargée d’Affaires of the Nigerian Embassy in Abidjan, and the Nigerian Community in Côte d’Ivoire worked together to ensure the women were properly documented and cleared for flight, which led to the successful repatriation endeavour.
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Speaking when the women returned in Lagos, Dr Onyema said human trafficking is a serious affliction on human dignity, adding that the women were tricked with promises of good fortunes, but ended being exploited and subjected to misery.
He said that as an airline of the people, the company cannot stand by while Nigerians suffer abroad.
The Air Peace chairman said the love for country and humanity always compels him to embark on such humanitarian mission.
“We will continue to stand in the gap when Nigerians are in distress, whether in Africa or beyond. We’re not just about flying aircraft; we’re about lifting lives,” Onyema stated.
He assured that the airline will always be available for noble causes, adding that “the suffering of our people anywhere in the world should concern us all.”
This is not the first time Onyema is carrying out such humanitarian gesture to Nigerians trapped in different parts of the world.
In 2019, Air Peace evacuated 503 Nigerians caught in xenophobic violence in South Africa free of charge. In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic was at its worst, the airline also deployed its plane to repatriate Nigerians who were stuck on several continents.
During the Ukraine-Russia crisis in 2022, Air Peace performed emergency evacuations as well. In May 2023, it transported 277 Nigerians who were escaping the unrest in Sudan.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
