Amidst wild expressions of sorrow, the Osun State Government on Wednesday received 15 women who returned from Lebanon where they had been trafficked and stranded for months.

The returnees were welcomed at the state government secretariat, Abere in Osogbo, Osun capital on Wednesday, by the state’s Commissioner for Women, Children and Social Affairs, Olubukola Olaboopo, and the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Diaspora Matters, Titi Fadahunsi-Ajayi.

While addressing the women, Mrs Olaboopo said they would be made the state’s ambassadors on issues of trafficking.

She also said the government would assist them with jobs in line with their various qualifications.

“You have had the experience firsthand and you are going to be the state’s ambassadors on issues of trafficking. The state government expects you to put in diligence in serving your motherland. You have seen the other side of life, and of course, you can see that there is no greener pasture anywhere.

“We want to know your qualifications to know how the government can assist you. Besides, we have organised an empowerment programme for you, and your resource persons are on ground to take you through the training.”

She warned against trafficking, saying many are dying from inhumane activities.

In August, the News Agency of Nigeria reported that 30 Nigerians who were trafficked and stranded in Lebanon had been rescued.

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) said the rescue became necessary after video footage of the stranded Nigerians making an appeal to the federal government surfaced on social media.

They were thereafter rescued by officials of the Nigerian mission in Lebanon.