Four young Nigerian women trafficked to Libya have made a desperate appeal to the Federal Government for immediate rescue following months of dehumanisation, forced labour, and sexual exploitation in the North African country.
The victims — Adewumi Omowumi Boluwatife (20), Damilola Ojumirayo (31), Akinsanya Adenike (30), and Sobayo Oluwanifemi (27) all from the South-West region of Nigeria, spoke to SaharaReporters, narrating how they were lured abroad by human traffickers under the guise of securing job opportunities.
“I was promised a better life but ended up in a nightmare,” said Boluwatife, who arrived in Libya in July 2022. “After paying ₦4.5 million to my trafficker, Yetunde Olumide from Ogun State, I was left homeless. A Nigerian man who offered me shelter later took advantage of me and got me pregnant. I’m starving, sick, and tired. Please, I don’t want to die here.”
Akinsanya Adenike, who travelled by road on March 11, 2024, narrated how she was physically assaulted when she requested to be paid for her housemaid work in Zawiya. “I had to pay ₦1.4 million to my trafficker, Ojumirayo Obaloluwa. After that, she abandoned me. I’ve been sick and have nowhere else to go. I want to return home.”
For Damilola Ojumirayo, her journey began in July 2022 through a friend’s connection to a trafficker, Adeola from Osun State, who collected ₦2.4 million from her. “After paying, I was forced into prostitution and beaten. My family eventually paid a ransom to free me. But even now, we are still unsafe.”
Sobayo Oluwanifemi’s trafficker was her ex-boyfriend’s sister, Abdulrasaq Aishat, who sent her to Libya on February 2, 2023. “I worked for over a year and paid ₦3 million. When I finished, she kicked me out. Now I squat with the others, but we’re all about to be thrown out again. We need help urgently.”
The four women are currently stranded in Zawiya, Libya, with no means of survival, healthcare, or security. They called on the Nigerian government, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), and international humanitarian organisations to intervene.
They emphasized that countless other Nigerian women face similar or worse situations in Libya.
“We are not the only ones. Many Nigerian girls are here beaten, raped, and forgotten. We are pleading with the Nigerian government not to forget us,” they said.
Libya remained a major hub for human trafficking, with many West African migrants falling victim to abuse while attempting to cross into Europe. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that hundreds of Nigerian women are currently trapped in Libyan detention centres or under traffickers’ control.
Despite previous efforts by the Nigerian government and its partners to repatriate victims, many remain stranded due to the volatile security situation and the complex nature of human trafficking networks.
