Just In: Senate Takes Notable Action as Nigerian Women, Children Trapped in Libyan Prisons
- The European Union (EU) is working with Libyan coastguards to reduce the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea
- However, many of those intercepted end up in detention centres in Libya, where some migrants said they were used as slaves
- Displeasure erupted in the senate on Tuesday, October 14, as lawmakers moved to rescue hundreds of women and children trapped in Libyan prisons
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Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering public affairs and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
FCT, Abuja - The senate on Tuesday, October 14, called on the federal government to initiate immediate diplomatic and humanitarian measures to repatriate hundreds of Nigerian women and children currently held in Libyan prisons.
The resolution followed a motion by Senator Aniekan Bassey of Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District on the urgent need to safeguard Nigerians from smuggling, slavery, and human rights abuses in Libya.
Source: UGC
Natasha asks FG to step up anti-smuggling interventions
Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the senator representing Kogi Central, proposed an additional motion directing the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) to collaborate with Libyan authorities to fast-track the release and repatriation of Nigerian female inmates and their children born in detention. The motion, seconded by the senate leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, was unanimously adopted.
Akpoti-Uduaghan lamented the plight of the victims, many of whom she said were trafficked under false pretences, only to end up imprisoned after escaping forced rough trade.
She said:
“These women were victims twice over—first of traffickers, then of a broken system. Several were sexually assaulted in detention, leading to pregnancies. Their children, born behind bars, must not suffer for crimes they did not commit.”
In his lead presentation, Senator Bassey expressed deep concern over the persistent dangers of irregular migration through Libya, which he described as “a corridor of death and despair” for many desperate Nigerians.
He cited reports indicating that about 1,000 Nigerians were repatriated from Libya in the first quarter of 2025 alone, with many survivors recounting harrowing ordeals of torture, sexual abuse, and forced labour.
Bassey recounted:
“One survivor, Mercy Olugbenga, sold her family’s property to fund her trip to Libya, only to be held captive for over a year while her blood was repeatedly drained against her will. It is a chilling reminder that slavery still exists in our time.”
The senate also referenced findings by Amnesty International and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which documented widespread abuse, including alleged sexual assault, arbitrary detention, and killings, by both state and militia-run detention centers in Libya.
Senate expresses concern for Nigerian returnees
After an extensive debate, the senate resolved to urged the federal government, through the ministries of humanitarian affairs and foreign affairs, as well NAPTIP, to develop a robust reintegration and protection programme for returnees, covering psychosocial support, skills training, and startup assistance.
It also called for strengthening diplomatic engagement with Libyan authorities and mobilize regional action through the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the United Nations (UN) to ensure the protection of Nigerians in detention and accountability for human rights violations.
In the same vein, the senate mandated the senate committees on diaspora, judiciary, human rights, and foreign affairs to investigate human smuggling networks and unlicensed travel agents facilitating illegal migration, with a view to tightening laws and enforcement mechanisms.
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Violations: Libya deports Nigerians
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Libya’s Department for Combating Illegal Migration (DCIM) deported seven Nigerians, three Bangladeshis, and three Ghanaians via Benina International Airport in Benghazi.
The deportees were detainees from the Qanfoudah Immigration Detention Centre.
The Migrant Rescue Watch disclosed that the 13 individuals were deported for violating Libyan law.
Source: Legit.ng
