Rescued Nigerian Returnee Warns Against Irregular Migration, Recounts Ordeal in Libya

A Nigerian woman recently rescued from Libya, Mercy Oluwagbenga, has urged youths to shun irregular migration and avoid dangerous travel routes in search of greener pastures.

Speaking at a meeting with Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) Chairman, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Oluwagbenga narrated how she dropped out of school at 20 and was lured to Libya with false promises of lucrative opportunities to support her sick mother. Instead, she said she was trapped in modern-day slavery for over 18 months, forced to work without pay to settle a ₦2.5 million debt to her trafficker.

“I was maltreated, locked up, and even had my blood drawn without consent,” she recounted tearfully. “Please, don’t follow this route. I don’t want any young girl or boy to go through what I went through.”

Oluwagbenga, who hails from Kabba in Kogi State, thanked NiDCOM and Trinity Foundation’s Dr. Segun Abraham for facilitating her safe return. She also appealed for assistance to complete her education, which she abandoned in 2018.

Dabiri-Erewa praised Oluwagbenga’s resilience, warning that irregular migration is “voluntary suicide,” as many Nigerians die in the desert or Mediterranean or remain missing. She reaffirmed NiDCOM’s commitment to rehabilitating returnees and intensifying advocacy against human trafficking.

The NiDCOM boss further lauded President Bola Tinubu’s introduction of NELFUND, which aims to help students like Oluwagbenga remain in school rather than resort to risky migration.