he Federal Government is once again pleading with Nigerians: stop risking your lives trying to reach Europe through Libya. The warning comes as heartbreaking stories continue to surface about citizens being trafficked, detained, or even dying in the North African country.
Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), didn’t mince words when she described Libya as “a death trap, not a route to Europe.” According to her, despite all the warnings, many Nigerians are still falling into the hands of traffickers, hoping to escape poverty — only to end up in even worse conditions.
“This year alone, over 5,000 Nigerians have been rescued from Libya,” Dabiri-Erewa said. “But sadly, more are still going. They sell all they have — sometimes paying over ₦1.5 million — just to end up in desert camps or Libyan prisons.”
She painted a grim picture: young men and women lured with fake promises of jobs and freedom, only to be abandoned in war-torn zones where law no longer exists. Some are left stranded in the desert; others are locked up, abused, or forced into modern slavery.
In response, the government — through quiet operations led by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and in partnership with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) — is trying to bring these people home. But it’s risky. “There’s no central government in Libya,” Dabiri-Erewa explained. “You deal with armed groups. Every rescue is a dangerous gamble.”
She didn’t stop there. The NIDCOM boss is also calling for the arrest and public exposure of the traffickers responsible for deceiving and exploiting desperate Nigerians. “They must be named and shamed. These are heartless criminals feeding off people’s suffering,” she said.
The message is clear: Libya is not the way out. The journey isn’t worth your life.
