By Deborah Nnamdi
Dr. Allen Onyema, Chairman of Air Peace has voiced strong condemnation and deep concern over the recent revelation of Nigerian underage girls trafficked to Côte d’Ivoire.
In a statement personally signed and released to journalists on Saturday, Onyema pledged that Air Peace would facilitate the repatriation of the girls to Nigeria at no cost.
The situation came to light after social media influencer Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, disclosed on Thursday that over 1,200 Nigerian underage girls are currently stranded in Ivory Coast as victims of human trafficking.
Otse further issued a warning to the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri, threatening to publicly hold her accountable if the girls were not rescued and brought back within a week.
In response, Dr. Onyema urged for unified action to combat human trafficking, describing it as both inhumane and morally reprehensible. He also committed to providing immediate medical care for the girls upon their return to Nigeria.
In his words, “We should discourage trafficking of any kind. It is inhumane and callous. It is ungodly and a good example of man’s inhumanity to man. We at Air Peace are ready to bring our fellow citizens back home free of charge.
“Besides that, we are going to send all of them to Duchess International Hospital in Ikeja for free medical examination and treatment.
“While we implore the Nigerian Embassy in Cote D’Ivoire to assemble them and reach out to us, we equally call on the Federal Government to take charge of their education while reuniting them with their families.”
