Air Peace has successfully repatriated 78 Nigerian women who were trafficked to Côte d’Ivoire under the false promise of employment, the airline announced on Saturday.

In a humanitarian mission carried out free of charge, the airline deployed a Boeing 737 aircraft (registration 5N-BQV), which departed Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport and landed at Félix-Houphouët-Boigny International Airport in Abidjan before returning the same day with the victims onboard.

The rescued women were received in Lagos by Air Peace Chairman, Allen Onyema, who assured them of the Federal Government’s full support and care. He said President Bola Tinubu was “happy” about their safe return and emphasized that there would be no arrests, with government officials on ground to receive them.

“We are very sorry that some people deceived you; you don’t deserve to be deceived,” Onyema told the women in a video posted on the airline’s social media platforms. “You are human beings like any other person, and you can be all you want to be.”

Encouraging the women to rebuild their lives, Onyema urged them not to lose faith in themselves or resort to harmful means for survival.

“You can become a governor, even a president. We are bringing you back to rehabilitate and reintegrate you into society,” he said.

Onyema emphasized the need to restore the dignity of the victims, many of whom suffered exploitation and abuse abroad. As part of their reintegration, he announced that all returnees would receive free medical care at Duchess Hospital in Lagos.

“These women have endured unimaginable hardship. They deserve not just to be brought home, but to be treated with care and respect,” Onyema said.

The rescue mission adds to Air Peace’s growing record of humanitarian interventions, including previous evacuations of Nigerians from conflict zones abroad.