The Senate has urged the Federal Government to intensify efforts to repatriate and rehabilitate Nigerians trapped in Libya amid rising reports of human trafficking and abuse.
This followed the adoption of a motion titled “Urgent Need to Protect Nigerians from Trafficking, Slavery, and Human Rights Abuses in Libya” sponsored by Senator Aniekan Bassey (Akwa Ibom North-East) during Tuesday’s plenary session.
Senator Bassey expressed concern over the deteriorating conditions of Nigerians held in Libyan detention camps, revealing that more than 1,000 citizens were repatriated in the first quarter of 2025, many of them victims of torture, sexual assault, and organ harvesting.
He cited the distressing case of Mercy Olugbenga, a young woman who sold her family’s property to travel abroad but ended up detained in Libya for over a year, during which “her blood was repeatedly extracted against her will.”
Adopting the motion, lawmakers called on the Federal Government, through the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and state governments, to develop a comprehensive reintegration programme for returnees. The initiative, they said, should include psychosocial support, vocational training, and start-up grants to help survivors rebuild their lives.
The Senate further directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to strengthen diplomatic efforts with Libyan authorities and work with the African Union (AU), ECOWAS, and the United Nations to secure the release of Nigerians still detained in Libya.
Supporting the motion, Senator Anthony Ani (Ebonyi South) described the repeated abuses as “a recurring decimal in our national life,” urging stronger institutional action against trafficking and exploitation.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North) emphasised the need for public awareness campaigns, noting that “after Gaddafi’s fall, Libya is no longer what it used to be.” He said the National Orientation Agency and other relevant bodies must intensify education on the dangers of irregular migration.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central) proposed an amendment urging the Nigerian Immigration Service and the Nigerian Correctional Service to collaborate with Libyan authorities in repatriating Nigerian women and children born in detention. “These women were victims twice over—first of traffickers, then of a broken system,” she said.
Senator Victor Umeh (Anambra Central) condemned the inhumane treatment of Nigerians in parts of Africa, describing it as “a betrayal of Africa’s shared humanity,” and called for stronger protection of citizens abroad.
In his closing remarks, Senate President Godswill Akpabio appealed to young Nigerians to resist the lure of irregular migration.
“Home is home. Let us build our nation together, for there is no greater pride than being safe and free in one’s homeland,” he said.
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