The President of the Nigerian community in Libya, Mr. Peter Omoregbe, has raised concerns over the plight of thousands of Nigerians trapped in the North African country, many of whom, he said, are now battling mental health issues after failed attempts to reach Europe.
Omoregbe’s remarks followed a recent disclosure by the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, who revealed that more than 7,000 Nigerian nationals were currently stranded in Libya.
Dabiri-Erewa described the situation as “deeply troubling,” calling for urgent intervention from the Nigerian government and international organisations.
Speaking in an interview, Omoregbe explained that the situation had left many Nigerians homeless, with some resorting to sleeping on the streets while others languished in Libyan prisons.
“Even five flights cannot take all of them if one airplane carries about 500 passengers,” he said. “Moreso, each stranded individual needs about N1m to return to Nigeria, which they can’t afford at the moment.”
Sharing insight into how the migrants became stranded, Omoregbe recalled how the routes to Europe were once more accessible but have now been effectively blocked.
“It was easy about five years ago to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, but it is no longer like that at the moment,” he said.
“Those who cannot cross to Italy, Spain, and Europe after passing through the deserts end up here in Libya. The European governments are collaborating with the Libyan authorities to block the Mediterranean Sea. There is no way for many of them to cross; so they are stranded there.”
He further lamented the plight of those who ended up in detention.
“Some of them ended up in prison when they were about to enter the capital city, which is Tripoli, because they came in illegally,” Omoregbe lamented.
On the survival conditions for Nigerians in Libya, Omoregbe alleged that many were subjected to exploitation by locals and even fellow Nigerians.
“Some of them will end up doing housework as slaves. And the Libyans don’t care whether you are sick or healthy; they force young people to work. The so-called traffickers use them to make money for themselves. This is especially from the Nigerian traffickers,” he said.
“Many of them will fall sick because of the unpalatable conditions they cope with. This, in the long run, affects their health. As I speak to you, hundreds of Nigerians have various mental health conditions and sleep on the streets of Tripoli in Libya,” he disclosed.
“As a leader, my tenure will come to an end this August, but I have invited some international organisations to come to their aid,” he added.
