Investigative Journalist reveals perils of migrants’ Libya journey - The Guardian Nigeria News

Investigative journalist Fisayo Soyombo has warned Nigerians against plying the Libya route when seeking greener pastures abroad.

Speaking during an interview on ARISE News on Sunday, Soyombo revealed the challenges he faced during an undercover journey from Kano through Niger to Tripoli. He had posed as a migrant travelling along the Sahara Route.

“You know, when you are trying to escape economic deprivation, you think that any other option is good. The options in Libya are worse,” Soyombo said.

He said most Nigerians who make it to Libya end up taking certain jobs just to raise money to fund their journey to Europe.

“What happens a lot of time is, they get to Libya, they realise they can’t cross. They are stuck. They run out of funds. Then they have to go into many jobs to at least be able to eat. Then they start saving to cross,” he said.

According to Soyombo, migrants could get robbed in Libya because their presence in the country is illegal and prevents them from opening a bank account to keep their money safe.

“But don’t forget, you’ve gone into Libya illegally because Libya already criminalised irregular migration. You can’t open a bank account. So you keep cash. Anyone can rob you,” he said.

He lamented that some migrants who work in agriculture often face harsh environmental conditions and risk not getting paid for their labour.

“The Nigerians who are in Libya are farming. Do you know the temperatures in Libya? It’s a desert. The hottest Nigerian state I’ve been to is probably Yobe,” Soyombo said.

He added, “The Agadir that was the start of the desert was like 20 degrees centigrade to 32 degrees centigrade. In the desert, you are talking temperatures of 40 and more as you go to farm.”

“We were stopped at a village. One Arab man came. And you know, again, because I was on a mission, my eyes were everywhere. Once I saw him approaching, I took to my feet,” he added.

“The guys that were not fast, he conscripted them to the farm. They worked for like three hours in this scorching sun. And he didn’t pay them a dime,” Soyombo said.

He stated that the migrants were subsequently robbed of their money and forced back into work.

“The following day, he came back, went to a nearby hut, passed them and said, why would you be a migrant and you have money? No migrant, if you want money, go and work on the farm.”

“Robbed them, took their cash, took them to the farm and he didn’t pay them a dime. Who were they going to complain to? He robbed them and then he enslaved them,” he said.

Soyombo said he did not blame Nigerians who had travelled to Libya, noting that some migrants he encountered told him they would not have made the journey had they known the difficulties ahead.

“I don’t blame them, I will never sit anywhere and blame anyone who has gone to Libya. Because on that trip, a lot of migrants told me, oh, if I knew I would suffer this much, I wouldn’t come,” he said.

As for the reason for his investigative work, Soyombo said he embarked on the journey to give people a glimpse of what they encounter on such a trip.

“So we have to help people to let them know how that Europe they want to get is extremely difficult,” Soyombo said.