Nigerian TikToker Dies Amid Claims Of Denied Leave

A Kenyan subcontractor for TikTok, Teleperformance Kenya, has denied allegations that it barred a Nigerian content moderator, Ladi Olubunmi, from traveling home for vacation before her death.

Olubunmi’s decomposing body was discovered in her apartment last week, three days after she allegedly passed away, according to reports from ABC News on Wednesday.

Teleperformance Kenya, a French outsourcing firm contracted by TikTok, told The Associated Press (AP) that claims of refusing Olubunmi’s leave request were “baseless and untrue.”

However, reports from international media suggested otherwise. Colleagues of the deceased claimed she had repeatedly expressed exhaustion and was desperate to return to Nigeria before her death. Despite being entitled to an annual return ticket to Nigeria, they alleged she was denied leave due to concerns over her work permit.

One of Olubunmi’s friends, Kauna Malgwi, further alleged that over 100 Nigerians working under Teleperformance Kenya have lacked valid work permits for the past two years, preventing them from travelling home.

“More than 100 Nigerians are working under Teleperformance who haven’t had work permits for the last two years, and so they have not been able to travel home despite having an annual return ticket benefit,” Malgwi told AP.

Following her tragic passing, tech workers in Kenya held a vigil in her honour, mourning her loss and raising concerns over what they describe as poor working conditions for content moderators and data labourers employed by global tech firms in the country.

Efforts to get a response from the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) proved futile, as its spokesperson, Abdul-Rahman Balogun, neither answered calls nor responded to inquiries about the commission’s stance on the matter.

LEADERSHIP reports that this incident is not the first time a Nigerian has died under mysterious circumstances in Kenya. In July 2021, two Nigerians lost their lives at a house party in unclear circumstances. One reportedly fell from the seventh floor of the Skyhorse Apartment in Kilimani, dying on the spot, while the other allegedly collapsed in the kitchen and was later pronounced dead.