The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said that no fewer than 10,000 Nigerians trapped in Libya were evacuated and returned to Nigeria during former President Muhammadu Buhari government while about 3,000 have been evacuated from the country under President Tinubu but many of them still return to Libya and get trapped.
The President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government has denied abandoning Nigerians trapped in Libya prisons, saying that thousands of them have been evacuated with stern warning to avoid migrating to Libya but they refused and still returned to the country.
The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said that no fewer than 10,000 Nigerians trapped in Libya were evacuated and returned to Nigeria during former President Muhammadu Buhari government while about 3,000 have been evacuated from the country under President Tinubu but many of them still return to Libya and get trapped.
SaharaReporters had reported that Nigerian detainees in a Libyan prison released a distressing video, pleading for help and showcasing their harsh conditions.
They chant, “Freedom! Freedom!! Freed!!!” while highlighting their suffering, including poor sleeping arrangements and unsanitary toilets.
The detainees reveal they have been imprisoned for over a year and five months, alleging that the Nigerian government collected money from them but has provided no assistance.
In the video seen by SaharaReporters, the detainees express their dire situation, stating, “We are dying.”
They threaten to take drastic measures if no help is forthcoming, noting that while other nationalities are fleeing, Nigerians remain to uphold their country’s name.
But reacting to the viral video, the NIDCOM boss said that between January and September this year, the Nigerian government has brought back about 3,000 Nigerians stranded in Libya in about 15 flights and warned them against returning to Libya but there are people who still go back there and get trapped.
She said, “A few years ago under President Muhammadu Buhari, I personally wrote, seeking massive evacuation of Nigerians stranded in Libya because of a video such as we just saw.
“Mr. President then approved and a high power delegation was constituted and sent to Libya. We went to detention centres. We had the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Office of the National Security Adviser, the Comptroller General of Immigration, NAPTIP, Refugee Commission, NIA and myself.
“We went into detention centres in Libya. I saw one of the most horrific things of my life. A girl held onto my leg and said in pidgin, ‘they have raped me. Many of them slept with me. I’m pregnant. When they knew you were coming, they inserted something inside me and I’m bleeding now.’
“It was a very horrible thing, and we brought them back. They were almost 10,000 that we lifted back from Libya.”
The NIDCOM boss said the government warned the evacuees and other Nigerians to avoid Libya but many still returned to the country and became stranded.
She said apart from the massive evacuation, the International Organisation for Migration has been bringing back Nigerians stranded in Libya.
According to her, “Between January and September, we have brought back about 3,000 in about 15 flights from Libya, and yet, we still have our people going back there.
“I came out severally to warn, avoid this dangerous part of migration. Those we saw in the video are those who survived. There are those who have died.”
She called on people posting the viral video to give her information of the detention centres, the cities where the people are as there are thousands of detention centres scattered all over Libya.
“We need to know where exactly they are. What cells are they coming from? What cities? Before we can get them back. Give us that information, for those of you that the video was sent to.
“But the important message I need to send is that we need to avoid this dangerous pathway, particularly from Libya. It is very dangerous. For bloggers that have been sending the video, join us in educating them, in the fight against human trafficking. Traffickers get them there and get paid heavily to take them there.”
I was part of a team that went inside Libyan Prison to rescue over https://t.co/sGVTbF7E2S Nigerians in Libya, with a warning that they should desist . But they still return . Not even sure this is a new video because 140 were rescued again a few weeks ago by @IOM_Nigeria . The… https://t.co/DE6uS1O8Fm
— abikedabiri (@abikedabiri) September 10, 2024