After spending almost a year trapped in harsh and dangerous conditions in the Central African Republic (CAR), eleven Nigerian miners are finally back home — and they can’t hide their relief.
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday, Freeborn Igorigo, who acted as spokesperson for the group, thanked President Bola Tinubu and the federal government for stepping in when their situation became desperate. He recalled how a viral video they recorded — showing them weak, stranded, and unpaid — caught the attention of the public and authorities.
The miners had allegedly been lured to CAR by a Nigerian agent working with a Chinese national, only to be abandoned without salaries for 11 months. In that time, they said they faced armed threats, physical assaults, imprisonment without cause, and hazardous working conditions deep in the forest. “Some of us are coming back with medical issues from accidents and exposure to dangerous chemicals,” Igorigo said quietly.
The turning point came when Chinese workers at the site were evacuated, but the Nigerians were left behind. “We tried to follow them but soldiers threatened us with guns. That’s when I decided to film and share our story,” Igorigo revealed. The clip spread quickly, prompting swift action from the Nigerian Embassy in CAR, the National Security Adviser’s office, DSS, and NEMA.
Their rescue wasn’t easy — it took days of travel from the remote site to the CAR capital before they could board an Asky Airlines flight to Abuja. They landed at 4:45 pm on Thursday, welcomed by NEMA officials led by Air Commodore Kenneth Oyong.
While happy to be home, the miners are now focused on getting justice. Igorigo said they are returning to their families empty-handed, as their employers withheld nine months’ worth of salaries. “They sometimes gave us small amounts they called ‘3D money’ just to keep us quiet, but the big payment they promised never came. We are pleading with the government to help us get what we worked for,” he said.
He warned that if companies are allowed to treat Nigerians abroad this way without consequences, it could open the door for more exploitation. “Our rescue is just the first step. We need justice.”
