Senate Moves to Rescue Nigerian Women, Children from Libyan Prisons

By News Agency of Nigeria

The Senate has 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 on the urgent need to safeguard Nigerians from trafficking, slavery, and human rights abuses in Libya.

In his lead presentation, Mr. Bassey expressed deep concern over the persistent dangers of irregular migration through Libya, describing it 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.

The Senate also referenced findings by Amnesty International and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which documented widespread abuses, including rape and arbitrary detention by both state and militia-run detention centres in Libya.

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP–Kogi) proposed an additional prayer for the upper chamber to direct the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and the Nigeria Correctional Service to collaborate with Libyan authorities to fast-track the release and repatriation of Nigerian female inmates and their children born in detention.

Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan lamented the plight of the victims, many of whom were trafficked under false pretences, only to end up imprisoned after escaping forced prostitution.

“These women were sexually assaulted in detention, leading to pregnancies. Their children, born behind bars, must not suffer for crimes they did not commit,” she said.

The motion, seconded by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, was unanimously adopted.

After extensive debate, the Senate urged the federal government, through the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Humanitarian Affairs, as well as NAPTIP, to develop a robust reintegration and protection programme for affected persons.

It also called for strengthening diplomatic engagement with Libyan authorities and mobilising regional action through the African Union (AU), ECOWAS, and the United Nations to ensure the protection of Nigerians.

Contributing to the debate, Senator Anthony Ani (APC–Ebonyi) described the suffering of Nigerian migrants in Libya as “a stain on our national conscience.”

Senator Victor Umeh (LP–Anambra) condemned Africa’s silence over the abuses, saying, “We are members of the African Union, yet Africans are treating fellow Africans without respect.”

In his remarks, Senate President Godswill Akpabio commended Mr. Bassey for bringing the motion to light and directed the Committee on Legislative Compliance to monitor the implementation of the resolutions.

Mr. Akpabio urged Nigerian youths to take caution and be guided by patriotism.

“Let us build our nation together, for there is no greater pride than being safe and free in one’s homeland,” he said.

(NAN)