After enduring months of forced labour, visa complications and police harassment in Kyrgyzstan, a Nigerian woman, Mrs. Olaitan Sekinat Tiamiyu, has returned to Nigeria, shedding light on the dire conditions faced by Nigerian migrants in parts of Central Asia.
Tiamiyu, who hails from Ogun State, arrived in Nigeria on July 3, 2025, following a harrowing experience in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
Tiamiyu’s journey began when she paid over ₦4 million to a travel agent who promised her a teaching job with a monthly salary of $800. But on arrival, she discovered the arrangement was a scam.
“There was no teaching job waiting for me. I was told I came to join a football club, something I never agreed to,” she said in an earlier interview with SaharaReporters.
“We were abandoned and left to survive under terrible conditions.”
Tiamiyu recounted how she struggled to leave the country after immigration authorities placed a red alert on her travel documents, citing issues tied to the agent who facilitated her trip.
According to Tiamiyu, her passport was seized and without an exit visa, she was forced to work on a farm to cover daily accommodation costs, which worsened her health.
“We were being paid just 1,000 Kyrgyz som, which has very little value,” she said. “I was also spending 700 som daily—around ₦12,600—for a place to stay. I couldn’t cope anymore.”
Another Nigerian man, whose identity is being withheld for security reasons, is reportedly still stranded after suffering serious injuries in an accident.
He said, “The longer I remain here, the more my condition worsens,” he said.
Following initial reports on their situation, Kyrgyz authorities summoned the Nigerians for questioning.
Though no one was arrested, their passports were withheld, and doubts were raised over the authenticity of the visa documents issued to them.
According to Tiamiyu, she was eventually allowed to leave after raising funds for a flight ticket.
“I got approval to leave two Fridays ago. By Monday, the exit visa was issued. But they wouldn’t release my passport unless I presented a flight ticket within 10 days. We had to borrow money to buy the ticket before I could finally leave.”
Tiamiyu has called on the Nigerian government to intervene and rescue other citizens still facing similar ordeals in Kyrgyzstan.
