3 weeks ago
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The Senate has taken decisive steps to unafraid the merchandise of hundreds of Nigerian women and children reportedly trapped successful detention centres successful Libya.
It described their plight arsenic “modern-day slavery.”
In their comments, Senators Asuquo Ekpenyong and Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan sought urgent diplomatic enactment to extremity the maltreatment and bring the victims home.
The solution followed a question moved by Senator Aniekan Bassey (Cross River South), who drew attraction to the recurring cases of trafficking, slavery, and gross quality rights abuses faced by Nigerian migrants successful Libya— a state that has agelong served arsenic a deadly transit constituent for those seeking to scope Europe illegally.
Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central) moved an further question mandating the Nigerian Immigration Service and the Nigerian Correctional Service to liaise with Libyan authorities to expedite the merchandise and repatriation of Nigerian pistillate inmates and their children calved successful detention.
The motion, seconded by Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, was unanimously adopted.
Akpoti-Uduaghan decried the horrific experiences of the victims, astir of whom were lured overseas nether mendacious promises of employment, lone to beryllium trafficked and aboriginal imprisoned aft escaping forced prostitution.
“These women were victims doubly over—first of traffickers, past of a breached system.
“Several were sexually assaulted successful detention, starring to pregnancies. Their children, calved down bars, indispensable not endure for crimes they did not commit,” she said.
In his pb presentation, Senator Bassey described Libya arsenic “a corridor of decease and despair” for galore hopeless Nigerians who autumn prey to quality traffickers and transgression gangs.
He cited reports indicating that astir 1,000 Nigerians were repatriated from Libya successful the archetypal 4th of 2025 alone, with galore survivors recounting harrowing ordeals of torture, intersexual violence, and forced labour.
“One survivor, Mercy Olugbenga, sold her family’s spot to money her travel to Libya, lone to beryllium held captive for implicit a twelvemonth portion her humor was repeatedly drained against her will.
“It is simply a chilling reminder that slavery inactive exists successful our time,” Bassey told the Senate.
Following a heated debate, the Senate resolved to impulse the Federal Government—through the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Humanitarian Affairs, arsenic good arsenic NAPTIP—to plan a broad reintegration programme for returnees, including psychosocial support, skills training, and startup aid.
It besides called for stronger diplomatic engagement with Libyan authorities and the mobilisation of determination enactment done the African Union, ECOWAS, and the United Nations to guarantee extortion and justness for detained Nigerians.
The precocious enclosure mandated its Committees connected Diaspora, Judiciary, Human Rights, and Foreign Affairs to analyse quality trafficking networks and unlicensed question agents facilitating amerciable migration, with a presumption to tightening existing laws and enforcement mechanisms.
English (US) ·