‘We Were Sexually Abused By Our Chinese Employers’ — Nigerians Rescued From CAR Speak Out

TWELVE Nigerian workers recently rescued from the Central African Republic (CAR) have alleged that they were sexually abused by their Chinese employers while working in a mining camp.

The men, who had been stranded for months and were owed 11 months’ salaries, arrived in Nigeria on Friday, 15 August, where they were received at the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) headquarters in Abuja by the commission’s chairperson, Abike Dabiri-Erewa.

Speaking on behalf of the group, their leader, Igorigo Freeborn, said it was important to make their ordeal public.

“We were homosexually abused by our Chinese employers in CAR. I am not ashamed to say it. I want people to learn from it. We were treated badly there, but thank God our lives were spared to tell the story today,” he said.

Freeborn added that while they had once lost faith in their home country, they were relieved and grateful to be rescued.

“I used to be one of those who believed nothing good could come out of Nigeria, but we were all happy to receive help and support from our government. Let me use this opportunity to thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Nigerian Ambassador to CAR, NIDCOM, NEMA, the Immigration Service, and other agencies for their prompt intervention,” he said.

The workers had first drawn public attention after a video they recorded, appealing for rescue, went viral three weeks ago.