The Senate has called on the Federal Government to urgently rescue hundreds of Nigerian women and children currently detained in Libyan prisons under harsh and inhumane conditions.
The resolution followed a motion sponsored by the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South), during Tuesday’s plenary.
The lawmakers urged the government to work with the United Nations and Libyan authorities to ensure the speedy repatriation of the victims.
Moro, who also heads the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Foreign Affairs, drew attention to the plight of more than 200 Nigerians, mostly women and minors, held in facilities such as Tawergha and Zintan.
Many of them, he said, were arrested for irregular migration.
“This is a matter of life and death,” Moro declared during the plenary session, citing recent viral videos and testimonies from returnees detailing brutal conditions, including beatings, sexual violence, and inadequate medical care.
He lamented that the detainees were victims of human trafficking and exploitation.
“These vulnerable citizens, many trafficked under false promises of better lives in Europe, are being treated as commodities in Libya’s fractured conflict economy. We cannot stand idle while our daughters and grandchildren suffer.”
The motion received widespread support from senators, including Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central), who underscored the gender specific abuses faced by female detainees.
“Pregnant women and nursing mothers are among those arrested in house raids by Libyan security forces,” Akpoti Uduaghan noted, referencing a September 2025 video circulated on social media showing distressed Nigerian women pleading for help from hiding spots in Tripoli.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio referred the motion to the Committees on Foreign Affairs, Diaspora, and Interior, mandating them to work closely with NiDCOM Chairperson Abike Dabiri Erewa and Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar.
“The executive must activate diplomatic channels without delay,” Akpabio stated. “We have seen successful evacuations before; this cannot be another forgotten crisis.”
Civil society groups, including Amnesty International and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), have commended the Senate’s intervention and urged swift funding for repatriation efforts.
As of Tuesday, NiDCOM confirmed ongoing discussions with Libyan authorities but gave no specific timeline for the evacuation.
