Outrage erupted in the Senate on Tuesday as lawmakers moved to rescue hundreds of women and children trapped in Libyan prisons.
Describing their ordeal as ‘modern-day slavery’, Senators Asuquo Ekpenyong and Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan sought urgent diplomatic action to end the abuse and bring the victims home.
The resolution followed a motion moved by Senator Aniekan Bassey (Cross River South), who drew attention to the recurring cases of trafficking, slavery, and gross human rights abuses faced by Nigerian migrants in Libya—a country that has long served as a deadly transit point for those seeking to reach Europe illegally.
Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central) moved an additional motion mandating the Nigerian Immigration Service and the Nigerian Correctional Service to liaise with Libyan authorities to expedite the release and repatriation of Nigerian female inmates and their children born in detention.
The motion, seconded by Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, was unanimously adopted.
Akpoti-Uduaghan decried the horrific experiences of the victims, most of whom were lured abroad under false promises of employment, only to be trafficked and later imprisoned after escaping forced prostitution.
‘These women were victims twice over—first of traffickers, then of a broken system.
‘Several were sexually assaulted in detention, leading to pregnancies. Their children, born behind bars, must not suffer for crimes they did not commit’, she said.
In his lead presentation, Senator Bassey described Libya as ‘a corridor of death and despair’ for many desperate Nigerians who fall prey to human traffickers and criminal gangs.
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 violence, and forced labour.
‘One survivor, Mercy Olugbenga, sold her family’s property to fund her trip to Libya, only to be held captive for over a year while her blood was repeatedly drained against her will.
‘It is a chilling reminder that slavery still exists in our time’, Bassey told the Senate.
The Senate referenced reports by Amnesty International and the International Organisation for Migration documenting widespread abuses—including rape, arbitrary detention, and killings—by both state- and militia-run detention centres in Libya.
Following a heated debate, the Senate resolved to urge the Federal Government—through the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Humanitarian Affairs, as well as NAPTIP—to design a comprehensive reintegration programme for returnees, including psychosocial support, skills training, and startup aid.
It also called for stronger diplomatic engagement with Libyan authorities and the mobilisation of regional support through the African Union, ECOWAS, and the United Nations to ensure protection and justice for detained Nigerians.
Additionally, the upper chamber mandated its Committees on Diaspora, Judiciary, Human Rights, and Foreign Affairs to investigate human trafficking networks and unlicensed travel agents facilitating illegal migration, with a view to tightening existing laws and enforcement mechanisms.
An amendment by Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South) directed NAPTIP to play an active role in both the repatriation and rehabilitation processes while working with the Senate committees to expose trafficking rings.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North) proposed another amendment, urging the National Orientation Agency and other relevant institutions to intensify public sensitisation campaigns on the dangers of irregular migration—a motion seconded by Senator Ned Nwoko (Delta North) and adopted.
‘Nigerians have no business being in Libya. We need to start educating and discouraging Nigerians that there is no greener pasture in that country’, Oshiomhole warned.
Senator Anthony Ani (Ebonyi South) described the ordeal of Nigerian migrants in Libya as ‘a stain on our national conscience’, while Senator Victor Umeh (Anambra Central) condemned the silence of African leaders over the abuses.
‘We are members of the African Union, yet Africans are treating fellow Africans worse than animals’.
‘The AU must act—no country should be allowed to get away with such cruelty’, he said.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio commended Senator Bassey for bringing the motion to the fore and mandated the Committee on Legislative Compliance to monitor implementation of the resolutions.
In an appeal to Nigerian youths, Akpabio cautioned against irregular migration.
‘Home is home. Many who leave in search of greener pastures only find pain abroad. Let us build our nation together, for there is no greater pride than being safe and free in one’s homeland’, he said.
