Nigeria has advised migrants to avoid Libya where penalty for illegal migration attracts death penalty.
The office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora made the appeal on Sunday.
Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the SSA to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, is appalled that in spite of the mistreatment and killings of blacks Nigerian migrants still use Libya.
Over 140 migrants and refugees, mainly from Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and Sierra Leone
“I hereby appeal again to Nigerian migrants to avoid Libya as penalty for illegal migration to Libya, when caught, is usually a death sentence.’’
She referred to a trending video, which though had not been authenticated, showing pictures purported killing of black immigrants in Libya.
“ While the authenticity of the pictures and tapes in question cannot be verified, it is a known fact that Libya has been executing alleged black illegal immigrants for years.
“As the Chairman Committee on Diaspora in the House of Representatives in the Seventh Assembly, we intervened in the case of 24 Nigerians about to be killed in Libya.
“The Committee, in collaboration with SERAP, an NGO, petitioned the UN, AU, ECOWAS, and Ghadaffi yielded to pressure and released them.’’
Two months ago, she said the NEMA in collaboration with the Nigerian Embassy in Libya, evacuated over 2000 Nigerians from Libya.
“The Nigerian embassy in Libya, working with NEMA has relentlessly intervened in cases involving Nigerians in trouble in Libya and will continue to do so.
She said that Libyans were dealing with their own struggles as there was no recognised government in place.
Nigerians, she warned, should avoid Libya.
