More than 200 Nigerians are currently being held in a detention camp (deportation facility) in Kuwait following a dispute over salaries and alleged labour exploitation involving Kuwaiti companies, according to victims and relatives.
One of the detainees, in a voice note shared with THE WHISTLER, appealed to President Bola Tinubu, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other Nigerian authorities to urgently intervene and evacuate those being held.
The detainee said many Nigerians in the camp had spent between four and six months in detention without being deported or formally charged.
“Presently, we are in the Kuwait deportation camp. Most Nigerians here have spent within six months, four months thereabout, and none of them have been deported,” he said.
According to him, the prolonged detention has left many detainees battling depression and mental health challenges.
“Some Nigerians are even getting mad in this place, like they are beginning to have mental problems,” he added.
The detainee explained that the crisis began after workers complained about poor treatment and salary discrepancies by their employer.
Further details were provided by the wife of one of the detained Nigerians, who spoke with THE WHISTLER on condition of anonymity.
She said the workers had reported their employer to Kuwait’s manpower authorities after discovering that their salaries were far below what had been promised.
According to her, the company had allegedly promised workers the equivalent of about N2.5m monthly but paid some of them around N750,000.
That was what made them angry. The owner of the company started deducting money for different things that were never part of their agreement,” she said.
She also alleged that the employer confiscated workers’ passports and ATM cards, making it difficult for them to access their earnings or leave the country.
“The moment they entered Kuwait after their documentation, the man seized their passports. He also collected the ATM cards meant for them,” she claimed
The woman said after the workers reported the matter, Kuwaiti authorities invited them to what they described as a government lodge, promising either accommodation, new jobs or repatriation to Nigeria.
“The government told them they could stay there and that anyone who wanted to return home would have their flight ticket booked,” she said.
However, she alleged that the workers were later detained after authorities accused them of violating Kuwaiti laws by gathering against their employer.
She further claimed that communication with detainees has been severely restricted, with many unable to access their phones.
“He cannot even call me directly. He only uses the detention phone to leave voice messages,” she said.
The detainee also accused the Nigerian embassy in Kuwait of failing to take concrete action despite allegedly visiting the camp.
“We have not seen any effort from them. People are beginning to wonder why Nigerians have remained here while other nationalities are being deported,” he said.
Another detainee said in a voice note that Kuwaiti authorities may be preparing to charge them to court, raising further uncertainty over their fate.
Similarly, another detainee pleaded with the Igbo community in Kuwait to intervene and help them reach the Nigerian embassy for assistance, adding that many of them are sick.
The affected families are now calling on the Nigerian government and relevant authorities to intervene urgently and secure the release or repatriation of the detainees.
When THE WHISTLER contacted the spokesperson of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, for comment, he requested that a message be sent to him.
However, he had not responded as of the time of filing this report.
THE WHISTLER also spoke with Gabriel Odu of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), who promised to call our correspondent back. However, he had not done so at the time of filing this report.
Efforts by THE WHISTLER to reach the Kuwait Embassy in Nigeria via nigeria@mofa.gov.kw were unsuccessful, as the email address could not be delivered.
