A Black American woman from America who is currently in Pakistan is blowing up on the internet. No, she’s not being held hostage...she allegedly refuses to leave.
There are a few reasons why the videos of 33-year-old Onijah Andrew Robinson are so viral. First, it’s hilarious to imagine a Black woman causing a ruckus in a country that particularly struggles with femicide. Now, also consider the rocky political standing America has with the Middle East and the offensive banter of newly elected President Donald Trump. This certainly makes for an awkward moment.
There’s no telling what will come of her but here are three things to know about her and the whole incident.
Who is She?
The woman is said to be from New York but sources have not revealed what part of the city. She is reportedly 33 years old. She also has a son, Jeremiah, who described her as “mentally unwell” with “impaired judgement,” per News 18.
And…Why Was She in Pakistan?
The story goes that Robinson flew from America to Karachi, Pakistan in October of 2024 after falling in love with 19-year-old Nidal Ahmed Memon, whom she met online, per The Express Tribune. Believing the promise that they would be married, she put herself on a plane to seal the deal. Her son told News 18 reporters she planned to come back after two weeks but she never returned.
The report says that, upon her arrival to Pakistan, Memon’s family rejected the marriage and the family took the teen into hiding. Robinson was then left stranded and her tourist visa expired.
Her Bodacious Demands
Instead of eating the loss and going back home, Robinson simply refused to leave Pakistan, as she expressed in videos. In protest of the family leaving, she staged a sit-in outside the home and took shelter on the property, gaining the attention of local news. Luckily, word got back to an organization that offered to buy her a ticket back home, per News 18. However, she denied the offer and insisted the government pay her back.
“I would like you guys to book my ticket back to New York. Money is short right now, and I will appreciate it,” she said in a news conference, also requesting a sum of 100,000 rupees, a stipend of $3,000 a week and Pakistani citizenship.