Francis Julianah Omowunmi, a 27-year-old Nigerian woman trafficked to Iraq and subjected to rape and brutal treatment by her employer, has finally regained her freedom and returned to Nigeria. Her release followed an exclusive report by Chronicles Reporters that shed light on the injustice surrounding her arrest and continued detention—despite a court ruling that found her innocent and sentenced her abuser.
The development was confirmed by Mr. Damilola Adekola, founder of Hopes Haven Foundation, a Nigerian-based human rights advocacy group, in a conversation with Chronicles Reporters.
On Tuesday, July 15, 2025, Chronicles Reporters detailed how Omowunmi remained in an Iraqi prison, even though a court had convicted her employer of rape and ordered that she be paid $2,000 as compensation.
Earlier, in March 2025, this platform had also reported that Omowunmi, who hails from Ekiti State in Nigeria’s southwest, was lured to Iraq on October 7, 2023. Her trafficker, reportedly a relative of her sister’s husband, handed her over to a chain of agents—first in Akure, the Ondo State capital, and then in Lagos. One of the agents, identified as Alhaja Nafisat, orchestrated her journey with false promises of a better future abroad.
Omowunmi’s account of her experience was deeply disturbing. She revealed that her Iraqi employer not only raped her repeatedly and physically assaulted her but also involved his wife, children, and acquaintances in threatening her life if she dared to speak out or alert her family.
According to her, the abuse escalated when she was allegedly forced to undergo an unsafe abortion after one of the rape incidents, leaving her in severe pain and under renewed threats to remain silent.
Despite the ruling of the Iraqi court convicting the employer, he reportedly attempted to clear his name by manipulating legal processes. Through his lawyer, he sought to coerce Omowunmi into withdrawing her claims by falsely stating in court that she had never been raped.
She narrated one instance when the employer visited the home of her madam’s father and confessed to the rape, pleading for her silence and offering money in return.
Mr. Adekola informed Chronicles Reporters that at some point, the employer’s legal representative had proposed an out-of-court settlement. During a virtual meeting involving the Iraqi lawyer, Omowunmi’s sister, and Hopes Haven Foundation’s legal team, certain terms were agreed upon and accepted by the Iraqi side.
Adekola also disclosed that Omowunmi’s sister had earlier warned them about attempts by the employer’s lawyer to pressure her into giving false testimony in court.
After Omowunmi was forced to abandon her case and return to her employer’s household, her situation deteriorated. Her madam accused her of being “unclean” and confined her to a locked room for six months without food. Although she was told she would be returned to Nigeria, no steps were taken to fulfill the promise.
She later shared how the employer invited a friend who tried to coerce her into signing a false document denying the rape. The statement also falsely alleged that she had made up the story to claim unpaid wages and that she had willingly dropped the case. Omowunmi said she refused to sign the statement, as it did not reflect the truth.
Following her refusal, she was returned to prison even though the court proceedings had cleared her of any wrongdoing. Chronicles Reporters later confirmed that an Iraqi court ruled in her favor, found the employer guilty, sentenced him to jail, and ordered him to compensate her with $2,000.
“An Iraqi court declared her innocent and jailed her employer,” Adekola said, “but we were shocked that she remained locked up.”
He also revealed that although the convicted employer complied with the court order and handed over the $2,000 to a prison official, Omowunmi was still held in custody, and the funds were not released to her.
“The money was paid by the convicted employer and given to a prison warder where she was kept,” Adekola noted.
Chronicles Reporters had made efforts to get an official comment from the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), but its spokesperson, Vincent Adekoye, did not respond to multiple calls or WhatsApp messages, even though the message was marked as read.
However, Adekola confirmed to this platform on Monday that Omowunmi has now returned safely to Nigeria. He explained that while the Iraqi court awarded her $2,000, she came back with only $1,500, as the lawyer representing the employer deducted $500, claiming it covered the cost of her flight ticket.
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