The Honourable Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora, Tolu Akande-Sadipe, has taken action to show her displeasure in the maltreatment of a Nigerian lady in Lebanon.
This came as a result of the unjust punishment of Temitope Olamide Ariwolo, a 31-year-old Nigerian lady, who was beaten by Mahmoud Zahran, the husband of her employer, Feyzeh Diab, on April 25, 2020 at a home where they live in Choueifat, South of Beirut.
According to the victim who took a video of herself, revealing the scale of the injury, Mr. Mahmoud Zahran hit her in the mouth, causing serious bleeding. Also she was prevented from being repatriated back to Nigeria and is currently being charged for murder.
In lieu of this, Hon. Tolu Akande-Sadipe has called on the Lebanese community in Nigeria as well as the Lebanese government, to stand against the injustice and violation of human rights being meted on Temitope who was wrongly accused of murder and being mistreated by her employers.
In a statement put out through her media aide, Olamilekan Olusada, Hon. Akande-Sadipe said, “Lebanese Nigerian community, your support in any way possible to stop the victimization of this young woman and several others would be most appreciated. We Nigerians are really concerned about Temitope because in the recent past two other Nigerian women have died in mysterious circumstances”.
she further said, “it is very obvious that these are trumped up charges to punish this young woman for taking on her employer and the system in Lebanon. In addition, this is also an attempt by the Lebanese Ambassador in Nigeria to pervert Justice, as he has requested that the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (“NAPTIP”) release a Lebanese national on trial for Human Trafficking in exchange for Temitope”.
Hon. Akande-Sadipe made the call during a visit to the Comptroller General of NIS during an oversight visit to the airport.
According to her; “This visit by the House Committee on Diaspora is aimed at ascertaining the preparedness of the Service to create a congenial environment that will allow quality collaboration among the relevant stakeholders to tackle the menace of illegal trafficking in persons and human organs. We all know that no one agency of government can single-handed combat trafficking, knowing that it is a highly organized international crime that preys on Africans severally”.
While enforcing a query on the rationale behind the refusal of Temitope’s employer who assaulted her, to approve her repatriation and evacuation to Nigeria, she said, “The Lebanese government must be held responsible for the violation of Temitope’s rights which is in violation of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)”.
According to her; “to date, the other Nigerian women prevented from boarding have since been released and are awaiting repatriation to Nigeria whilst Temitope is being held back and obviously cannot afford Legal representation. On hearing the news, I could not understand like everyone else, why the family has prevented her from leaving Lebanon”.
Hon. Akande-Sadipe thereby advocated for similar freedom of other Nigerians being held in the country, while also calling for a collaborative effort between the legislative and the Nigeria Immigration Service.
“Lebanese in Nigeria have been very welcome since the arrival of the first Lebanese Ilyas Al-Khuri in 1890, since then we have co-existed happily for many years with many Lebanese now also Nigerian citizens”, she said.
She revealed that consequent upon the incessant human trafficking being experienced by Nigerians, there is an urgent need for collaboration of all relevant agencies of the nation, adding that this would reduce human trafficking and organ harvesting to its barest minimum or eradicate it.
