Nigerian woman detained in UAE for ‘illness’

Bunmi Rufai, a Nigerian student in the UK, told FIJ how the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs remained silent when authorities in the United Arab Emirates tortured her ailing sister, Funmilayo Rufai.

Al Maqam police detained Funmilayo, who works at the International Grand Mart in Al Ain, immediately after requesting medical assistance on October 10.

“My sister, Funmilayo, has been suffering from insomnia for several days. She told me that she has been feeling stressed and weak lately. So, on October 10th, she became very ill and a colleague decided to take care of her until they called an ambulance,” Bunmi told FIJ on Saturday.

“To their surprise, the police came in an ambulance and took her first to the police station. My sister later told me that the police tried to force her to sign a document. She couldn’t do it because she didn’t understand Arabic. language.”

Bunmi told FIJ that Funmilayo later revealed that police tortured her and chained her legs, while International Grand Mart did not intervene or help her.

When FIJ contacted the human resources officer of the International Mall, there was no response. The head of the company received and read FIJ’s message but declined to respond.

It’s not just international shopping malls that are silent. Bunmi told FIJ that Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) received an email from her on October 17 but took no action.

The Nigerian Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) forwarded a complaint to the MFA, according to an email obtained by FIJ.

“The last time I spoke to her, she said her legs were still chained. She was detained by the police for a few days before being taken to the hospital. Even while she was in the hospital, the police chained her legs … they refused to let anyone see her in the hospital and she couldn’t even use her mobile phone,” Bunmi told FIJ.

“My sister told me they wanted to deport her. What for? We don’t know. She was just sick; she didn’t break any laws. We tried to contact all relevant authorities but we didn’t get the support we needed,” International Grand Mart told We, they can’t do anything.”

The Nigerian mission in Dubai responded to Bunmi’s email with a report but did not meet with Funmilayo.

Funmilayo has been released from hospital but remains in police custody.

FIJ sent emails to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerian Embassy in the United Arab Emirates. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was closed for the weekend, and the embassy had not responded by press time.