Seventy-eight Nigerian women who were victims of human trafficking in Côte d’Ivoire have safely returned home, thanks to a collaborative humanitarian mission led by Air Peace, in partnership with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Nigerian Embassy in Abidjan.
The repatriation, which took place on Sunday, May 12, 2025, was facilitated through Air Peace’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative and personally supervised by its chairman, Dr. Allen Onyema, whose unwavering dedication to national service once again came to the fore. The operation marks another milestone in Air Peace’s growing legacy of corporate compassion and community impact.
The mission was carried out following months of diplomatic engagement and fieldwork involving NAPTIP Director-General Binta Lami Adamu Bello, whose agency worked with Ivorian authorities to identify, shelter, and prepare the women for their return. The victims had been lured with promises of jobs but ended up in exploitative conditions across several Ivorian cities.
Speaking during the arrival ceremony at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, Dr. Onyema stated, “This is beyond aviation. We are committed to restoring dignity to every Nigerian soul. Air Peace is not just about flying planes—we’re lifting lives.”
The women, some visibly emotional, expressed relief and gratitude, recounting the horror of their ordeal abroad. According to NAPTIP officials, the returnees will undergo post-rescue rehabilitation, including counseling, reintegration support, and skills training to empower them to rebuild their lives.
The Nigerian government, through the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Diaspora Affairs Commission, praised the operation as a model for public-private partnerships in tackling trafficking. Officials also called on other corporate organizations to emulate Air Peace’s leadership in social responsibility.
This latest humanitarian flight adds to Air Peace’s growing portfolio of voluntary evacuations and crisis interventions, which have included Nigerians stranded in Sudan, South Africa, and the UAE. As more survivors are identified globally, stakeholders urge increased vigilance, cross-border collaboration, and aggressive awareness campaigns to end modern-day slavery.
