Out of 142 migrants only 3 of us were rescued from sea

•Libyan deportee recounts horrific experience trying to flee to Europe
•Libyan rescue team watched Nigerian drown in sea
•They turned Nigerian girls into sex slaves

By Evelyn Usman

It is no longer news that Nigerians on daily basis, leave the shores of the country in search of greener pastures, as they consider their mother land unfavourable in terms of job employment . But unknown to many who choose to embark on the voyage to Europe through Libya, the trip is not as easy as envisaged. In most cases, it is a journey to death.

Between April and May 2017, 675 Nigerians have been deported from Libya after spending months in underground cells without food and proper medicare. Some of the deportees who were lucky to make it back home recounted their horrific experiences in Libya.

The deportees crouched in front of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, SCOAN, in Ikotun area of Lagos, gazing into space, with their minds preoccupied with different thoughts of what lay ahead of them.

Though they were of different ages, tribes, complexions and heights, a common striking feature about them was their haggard and fragile frail. These were not regular worshippers at the church, rather , they were Nigerians who were deported from Libya recently.

In their search for a better living condition, they left their respective abodes in different parts of the country to embark on the deadly voyage across the angry Mediterranean sea , with the intent to cross to Europe. But that was never to be as the journey turned sour, leaving some of them dead, partially blind and incapacitated.

The plight of some of the ladies was more pathetic as they were turned into sex slaves while in Libya and as if that was not enough, some of them returned home with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, HIV.

Others who went on the voyage with members of their families , either lost them in the desert where there was no food and water or as a result of the torture they underwent in the hands of their 21st century slave masters back in Libya, or in the turbulence Mediterranean sea.

The psychological and emotional trauma apparently characterized their thoughts as they stood at SCOAN, oblivious of the impressions inquisitive passers-by had about them

Startling accounts

One of the deportees Harry Omozopia , who described his return back home as an act of providence , disclosed that out the 142 migrants who boarded a dingy overloaded boat, only three of them were rescued alive by rescue team from Libya, while others ; among them a four-month-old baby, perished in the Mediterranean sea. In this interview , he gave a startling revelation of how Nigerians were killed in Libya , even before setting sail and how illegal migrants who died in the cells were left for days before their bodies were evacuated. He also disclosed corrupt practices of Immigration officers at the nation’s border.

Journey from Nigeria

Explaining how he left home with high hopes , without informing any member of his family of his intention, out of fear that he would be convinced to stay back, Omozopia said : “ My journey started from Lagos to Kano. In Kano, you will see several people ; both men and women, including children, who intend to travel to Libya.

Immigration officers in Kano are paid N7000 to allow us take a bush path instead of going through the border to Agadez, Niger, where some people will be turned back. In Kano , they (Immigration officers) collected my international passport after I paid.

“From Niger, we embarked on a four – day journey through the desert to Tripoli. Trouble starts from the journey through the desert because there is no food or water to buy, even when you have the money. Agents don’t usually disclose this to migrants. Some times , people, especially children , died of thirst in the desert . We stopped at a spot where there was a well but inside it were corpses of migrants who died in the desert.

Life in the ghetto

At this point, he looked crestfallen , as he recalled how they reached a point called ghetto, in Libya. Surprisingly, he disclosed that Nigerians worked as agents to Libyans who ferry migrants from different parts of Africa to Europe through the Mediterranean sea .

“The reality of danger ahead starts from ghetto where migrants who left home without enough money to proceed on the journey are subjected to torture and slavery. Nigerians are killed at ghetto like chickens. If one does not have money to proceed to Tripoli from where one will be ferried to Europe, the agents will beat such migrants , at times, to death. Such migrants are only exempted from ill-treatment from Friday to Monday .

They (agents) usually gave migrants telephone to contact their relatives back home, to pay the fare which is equivalent to N150,000 . The money is usually paid into accounts of relatives of agents here in Nigeria. Ghetto is the point of no return for any migrant who does not have enough money to continue the journey. If relatives of migrants fail to send money across, such migrant will be locked inside a 20- feet container without food or water. This is another place where most migrants die. Blacks are not allowed to walk freely at ghetto . From ghetto, 27 of the lucky migrants are sandwiched in a Hilux van from one connection point to another until one gets to Tripoli, Libya capital. Connection point refers to bus-stops.”

Types of connections

The business of transporting migrants through the Mediterranean sea to Italy is refereed to as connection. There are two types of connections: prostitution and desert travelling.

Crime Guard gathered that some migrants particularly ladies ,were deceived by agents back in Nigeria , that they were taking them to Europe, only to end up in one of the connection points as commercial sex workers. Some agents, as gathered, also sold ladies as slaves.

Mozopia revealed that : “ Some agents sell ladies from one connection point to another. For instance, if the main sponsor paid N200, 000 as travel expenses, he would collect N250,000 upon reaching a connection , from another agent without the lady’s knowledge. The second agent may sell or collect more from a third agent and so on. By the time it gets to the final agent, the lady would have accumulated a debt of N500,000 to N700,000 which she will be asked to pay if she must proceed on the journey.

In order to realise this money, the last agent will use her as a commercial sex worker until his money is complete. If a lady refuses, she will be kept in a cell without food. At times, they inject them in order to have strength to attend to the number of men who desire to sleep with them. Some ladies, die as a result of this.”

Death of 139 Nigerians on the sea

Lucky migrants who could afford N150,000 equivalent to the Libyan Dinars for the much anticipated trip to Italy through the Mediterranean according to him, were kept in a camp at Tripoli , awaiting the right time to sail.

But, another signal that portends danger ahead was the sight of a tube boat instead of the normal ship as shown on the television back home. Nevertheless, they expressed joy when they were informed that the coast was clear of Libyan patrol teams and that the tides were also good to sail.

One hundred and forty-two migrants boarded the boat which took off for their dream land- Italy , at about 12 midnight . Barely had they started the nine hours journey than they noticed that the tube boat was deflating, a discovery that forced the captain to take them back to the shore where it was repaired.

They set sail the second time but returned to the shore again , as the Captain announced that the fuel would not be enough to take them to Italy. But none of them could decode that fate was plying a fair game on them.

Finally, they embarked on the journey for the third time. This time around, there was no hitch. The tide was calm , with everyone looking forward to what awaited them when they get to Europe. Their confidence grew as they beheld Italy , after sailing for eight and half hours.

But that was not to be as they discovered that the tube was deflating again. At this point, people started panicking . But the captain told us to remain calm, as any movement could further deflate the tube. By then, he had called rescue workers at Italy who directed him through the compass to come forward, as they would not be able to rescue us on Libyan water. After the call , the Captain threw the phone inside the sea as instructed back in Libya and tried to navigate the tube boat towards Italy. But the more he tried, the more it kept deflating until wave started moving it back into Libyan water. By this time people started jumping inside the sea”

Callous act

We sighted a Libyan rescue team and alerted them to come to our rescue. When they came, they said we should jump inside the sea. But to our surprise , they did not make any attempt to rescue those who obeyed them, they watched them drown and took three of us who were left .

They took us to an underground cell where I stayed for three years. While in the cell one of us who was rescued from the sea died. When we informed the men guarding the cells, they did not come to take the body away until after six days.

We were fed once a day with watery noddles. They did it intentionally because they said if they fed us well, we would stage a jail break . We were only served lunch with a piece of meat whenever the United Nations or our Ambassador was visiting.

There are several cells in Libya which are run by private individuals. They use it to seek funds from international organizations. We were also not given drugs or any other donations made by the UN”

 

SCOAN to the rescue

Having spent several months and years in Libyan prisons , The International Organisation for Migration facilitated the deportation of several Africans who use the only gateway to Europe-Libya. Out of these illegal migrants, 675 Nigerians have been deported between April and May 2017 alone.

Looking very unkempt , hungry and weak , with some of them nursing various degrees of incapacitation due to the cruelty they underwent in Libya prison, the deportees on arrival, besieged the Ikotun Egbe premises of SCOAN , insisting on seeing Prophet Temitope Joshua, popularly known as T.B Joshua.

When accosted, they stated emphatically that their mission there was to seek financial assistance and spiritual guidance to enable them start life all over again, adding that government had failed to look into their plights.

Crime Guard gathered that they were received by one Evangelist Daniel on behalf of T.B Joshua who was said to be away. Two 25 kg bags of rice were given to each of them.

The deportees went agog in joy, as they sang and danced, an action they claimed they had not experienced for the period they were in prison.

Speaking on their behalf, one of the deportees, Ifagbuyi Adebayo , said: “ Having come back to Nigeria with nothing, we were very confident that Prophet Joshua would help us with a token that could enable us return to our families to start life all over again.

We are also using this opportunity to call on the Nigerian government to look into our plights. Most of us are graduates who decided to embark on the illegal journey due to unemployment. Government should emulate the good works of Prophet T.B. Joshua who has never closed the doors on the needy”, he added.

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