Air Peace Repatriates 78 Trafficked Nigerian Women from Côte d’Ivoir
LAGOS – In a humanitarian gesture, Nigerian airline Air Peace has repatriated 78 Nigerian women who were trafficked to Côte d’Ivoire under the guise of employment opportunities.
The airline deployed a Boeing 737 aircraft (registration number 5N-BQV) for the mission, which departed Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Saturday and returned the same day from Félix-Houphouët-Boigny International Airport in Abidjan with the victims — all at no cost to them.
Air Peace Chairman, Allen Onyema, described the initiative as a moral responsibility to restore dignity to the affected women. “These women have endured unimaginable hardship. They deserve not just to be brought home, but to be treated with care and respect,” Onyema stated in a release issued on Sunday.
In addition to the repatriation, Onyema announced that the women would receive full medical care at Duchess Hospital, including necessary tests and any required treatments, all fully funded by Air Peace.
Photographs from the rescue mission show the visibly relieved returnees disembarking from the aircraft and being received by support teams at the Lagos airport.
The repatriation comes amid renewed efforts by the Nigerian government and private organizations to combat human trafficking and provide reintegration support for victims.
