Francis Julianah Omowunmi, a 27-year-old Nigerian woman who was trafficked to Iraq and subjected to horrific abuse, is still languishing in an Iraqi prison—even after a court convicted her employer for rape and awarded her $2,000 in compensation, Chronicles Reporters has learned.
In March 2025, Chronicles Reporters detailed how Omowunmi, who hails from Ekiti State, was trafficked to Iraq on October 7, 2023. She was deceived by someone connected to her sister’s husband and handed over to a trafficking syndicate. Her journey took her from an agent in Akure, Ondo State, to another identified as Alhaja Nafisat in Lagos, who arranged her travel with fake promises of a better future.
Upon arrival in Iraq, she was handed over to an employer who not only raped and brutalized her but reportedly worked with his wife, children, and friends to keep her in fear. She was repeatedly threatened with death if she dared to tell anyone, including her family or the authorities.
Omowunmi told Chronicles Reporters that the abuse escalated to the point where she was forced to undergo a painful and unsafe abortion, adding to her trauma. She recalled how her employer once confessed to the rape while at her madam’s father’s house, begging her to stay silent in exchange for material offers.
According to Damilola, a representative of Hopes Haven Foundation—a Nigerian NGO advocating for her—efforts were made to reach a settlement. The Iraqi lawyer representing her abuser contacted them, and a virtual meeting involving the NGO, Omowunmi’s elder sister, and the lawyer was held, during which terms for a possible out-of-court agreement were discussed and seemingly accepted.
However, things took a darker turn. Damilola disclosed that Omowunmi’s sister alerted the foundation that the same lawyer was trying to manipulate her into making false statements that would exonerate her abuser. After she was coerced into returning to her employer’s residence, she was again assaulted—this time by her madam, who claimed Omowunmi had an unpleasant body odor and locked her up without food for six months.
Despite being told that she would be returned to Nigeria, no steps were taken to fulfill that promise.
Omowunmi also recounted how one of her employer’s friends attempted to coerce her into recanting her rape allegations. She was presented with a false statement to sign—claiming she had fabricated the story to demand unpaid wages and had been treated respectfully throughout. She refused to sign the document, insisting it was a complete lie.
Following her refusal, Omowunmi was taken back into detention while legal proceedings continued. Eventually, an Iraqi court found her innocent, convicted the employer, sentenced him to prison, and awarded her $2,000 as compensation.
“Although the court ruled in her favor and jailed her employer, she is still being held,” Damilola told Chronicles Reporters. “It’s unclear why she hasn’t been released.”
He added that while the convicted employer has indeed paid the $2,000 ordered by the court, the funds were handed to a prison official, and Omowunmi remains in custody with no explanation.
“The money was given to a prison warder where she is held,” he confirmed.
Chronicles Reporters attempted to reach out to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to inquire about efforts being made to secure her release.
But Vincent Adekoye, NAPTIP’s spokesperson, did not answer several phone calls and ignored a WhatsApp message that he had read.
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