France Based Nigerian Woman Seeks Diaspora Commission's Help Over Dehumanising Treatment

By Lucky Isibor 

A France based Edo State born Nigerian Woman, Ms Ehi Nosakhale Ese, has appealed to the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission and it's Chairman, Hon. Abike Dabiri - Erewa, to come to her aid in recovering her money paid her as compensation for wrongful dismissal by her employers, Sari Brasserie SKYROS owned by one Mr. Primon whom she worked with directly while in the establishment and other valuables allegedly taken away from her by the French Police on trumped up charges ochestrated by the said Mr Primon.

In a letter of reminder by Ms Ehi Nosakhale Ese through her solicitors, S.O. Agwinede (Esq) with number SOA/GEN/VOL.1/26/05/23 dated 16/05/2023 and titled: Reminder- Dehumanising, Dastard and Cruel Treatment Meted Out on a Nigerian Citizen in Nice, France, Re: Ms Ehi Nosakhale Ese, adverts the Commission to its earlier letter of complaint on the issue with number SOA/GEN/VOL.1/17/03/20, dated 21 March 2020 which was received by the Commission on 25 September 2020. 

The letter of reminder again appealed to the Commission to come to the aid of Ms Ehi Nosakhale Ese in recovering her belongings noting that she's at the verge of losing hope and trust in the Commission set up by her country to help her as a Nigerian living abroad.

In the earlier letter of appeal to the commission dated 21 March 2020, Nosakhale's lawyers chronicled the genesis of her travails in the hands of Mr. Primon and the French Police which started with the alleged demand for sex from Ehi Nosakhale Ese, by her immediate boss, Mr Primon during the pendency of her marriage to her Italian husband, Mr Fiore Davide; her wrongful dismissal from Mr Primon's establishment flowing from her refusal to consent to the sexual demands of Mr Primon, Mr Primon's refusal to pay her compensation after wrongful termination of her employment, the adjudication by the French Labour and Commerce Court, to her ordeal in the hands of the French Police on the prodding of Mr Primon and how she presently lives on the streets of France.

According to the letter, "Although Ms Ehi Nosakhale Ese painstakingly and politely explained to MR. PRIMON why she cannot consent to his sexual request and demand since she is lawfully married to the aforementioned Italian and the said marriage is still subsisting, the said MR. PRIMON refused to take a NO for an answer. When Ms Ehi Nosakhale Ese stood her ground, Mr. Primon summarily sacked her from his employment without any Terminal Benefits and also without letter of dismissal to enable her get unemployment benefits as a French citizen. 

"Inspite of Ms Ehi Nosakhale Ese’s plea, entreaties and constant requests for these termination documents, Mr. Primon refused to oblige her. Ms Ehi Nosakhale Ese was consequently constrained to lodge a formal report of this irregular dismissal to LABOUR INSPECTOR BLOC 2, Nice, France. The said Labour Inspector wrote to Mr. Primon directing him to pay her all Termination benefits and withheld salaries as Mr. Primon was paying her €1,800 instead of the agreed salary of €2,400, Mr. Primon neither acknowledged the Labour Inspector Bloc 2’s letter nor carried out the directive contained therein. Consequently, she was advised to report Mr. Primon to COUNSEIL de PRUD' HOMMES de NICE, SECTION COMMERCE.

"The said Labour and Commerce Court directed Mr. Primon to come and hand over all her Terminal Benefits to her in Court including her salaries. For fear of pains of sanction by the said Court, Mr. Primon obeyed and complied with the Court’s Orders. As he was handing over the cheque to Ms Ehi Nosakhale Ese, Mr. Primon threatened Ms Ehi Nosakhale Ese with the following words: 

“If your lawyer wins this case (case to pay up dues due to the wrongful dismissal), nobody will see your dead body” 

"The Labour and Commerce Court finally made its award for her wrongful dismissal in May, 2015. The cheque for the awarded damages was released to her in April, 2016. 

"True to his threat quoted above, Mr. Primon started using the French Police to be laying all forms of trumped up criminal charges against her and the Police brutal harassment commenced on the 10th day of May, 2016 when Mr. Primon instigated the Brigadier de Police Damez Francious at 28’s invitation to their office in Nice, France". 

The letter stated further that the French Police instigated the neighbours of Ms Ese Nosakhale Ehi against her and were allegedly aided by the police to assault her adding that, "Her neighbor stoned her on the face with his phone. While she was screaming, her neighbour’s wife came and told her to call the Police emergency number. When the Police came, instead of arresting her neighbor they decided to arrest Ms Ehi Nosakhale Ese. The neighbor falsely gave them a knife stating falsely that she threatened him with a knife. When she arrived at the Police Station at 28 rue Roquebilie, there was jubilation. They said “Nigeria has come. Lock her up in the shit cell No. 11. She was detained from May, 31th to 2nd June, 2016 without food, blanket or mattress. On the 2nd of June, 2016, the Police came and demanded to take her finger print without allowing her access to her lawyer. When she protested the violation of her rights, she was brutally attacked and beaten severally. Her hairs were cruelly pulled off, her neck was twisted and her fingers were crushed. instead of rescuing her, the only female police among them was busy filming the excruciating and cruel battering of Ms Ehi Nosakhale Ese. Her photographs after and before the attack on her by the Police are attached hereto. Seeing her condition, the Police called ambulance which took her to the emergency wing of Pasteur Hospital where she was eventually treated for the various injuries she received during the said Police brutal attack on her."

While validating the contents of her letter to the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission through her lawyers in a telephone interview, Ms Ese Nosakhale Ehi said :"They really dealt with me, I was between life and death, they took me to the hospital to issue a certificate of death for my person, but God was so kind I woke up before the doctor came. 

"They now asked me what happened. I explained. They took me to court with all those pictures you are seeing. So when I left the hospital I sued them for damages because they have destroyed my life, I cannot stand, I cannot move, for seven years now I've not touched my head to comb my hair. So when they saw that I sued them, they looked for two Nigerians, gave them documents to testify against me that I am the one that trafficked them to Europe. They came to look for me again to kill, I saw them, but didn't enter my house. It's there they took me in the night outside, along the road, the pictures are here. I cannot see with my eyes, they took me to court and there the judge was asking me who is the lawyer that won my case with my employer for me? I now asked her, is it because of that case or what that am here? She told me am a human trafficker, I told her if am a human trafficker, can I confront them? She told me to shut up, you're a black and secondly you are a Nigerian. I was judged because I was a Nigerian. I asked if a Nigerian cannot talk, she said no. They sent me to prison for nothing. They destroyed me, they sent me to prison. It was really shocking. I wrote letters to the Nigerian Embassy several times, but they never allowed that letter to go. But after releasing me from prison they took me to deportation camp. It's there God answered my prayers,. They came on the 10th of July 2018, they took me to Embassy. It was horrible when the Nigerian Ambassador saw me. She now asked me what happened, I now told her. I told her I came to France as an Erasmus student, (European student exchange programme). I narrated all my ordeals to her. She then asked the police, 'but you did not tell me that police rapped her, you did not tell me that you people destroyed her. The police did not tell them they raped me.

"The Ambassador now said but you did not tell us this woman was beaten. But she is telling me now, but you said I should give you papers to go and dump her in Nigeria. 

"I was rapped by the police, I was operated on, I cannot seat down as am talking to you, I cannot seat down directly on the chair, I was operated upon on my anus. They rapped me on my anus. I was operated in the hospital, evidence are there. I told Ambassador they rapped me, they gave me a chair to seat on I couldn't seat down direct. Our Ambassador asked them, 'can our policemen rape your women in Nigeria?' She cried. She asked, did you tell me that you rapped her? They 

said no. Did you tell me that you destroyed this woman? They said no. The Ambassador now said it's your doctor who is telling us this woman is not well. Take this woman, you people should go and treat her and come back. Since 2018 they have not gone back to the Ambassador to tell them this is what is going on. 

When I left the prison they took me outside, I've been living outside like a dog."

Her letter to the Commission through her lawyers is pleading with the Commission to assist her retrieve the money paid to her as compensation from Mr. Primon and all other of her savings allegedly stolen by the Police on the instigation of Mr Primon and other items stolen from her which include golden jewelries, vintage wines, shoes and bags and other personal effects.