By ITOHAN ABARA-LASERIAN and OLADELE ENIOLA

Stranded migrants who were recently brought back to Nigeria by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) have advised Nigerians against irregular migration.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a total of 183 migrants, comprising 108 males and 75 females, including 26 children and 13 infants, were repatriated from Tripoli, Libya by IOM.

They arrived on Tuesday night at the Hajj and Pilgrims Cargo Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

Some of the returnees who spoke with NAN recounted the harrowing experiences they faced in Libya and the poor treatment meted out to them.

Miss Susan Nneka, a 24-year-old woman, revealed that she spent over a month crossing the desert in a bid to reach Libya.

“The journey to Libya was a horrible and tough journey with so many obstacles on the way, and we have to spend over a month in the desert before we finally got to Libya.

“Getting there, the life that I was promised wasn’t what I got, as I had to take some care jobs to be able to survive over there, and truth be told, it wasn’t easy at all.

“My advice to everyone is that before embarking on any journey, make sure you verify all the information, and most importantly, don’t travel without the consent of your family as this act might scatter your bond with your family,” she said.

Mohammed Ibrahim, another returnee who left four years ago, said he took the action due to his financial difficulties.

“I was going through a lot of hardship while in Nigeria, so, I complained about my predicament to a friend who told me that I could get a better life in Libya, so I went ahead with the process.

“I went through hell before getting to Libya, and upon reaching there, I realised that empty promises were made to me, so, I had nothing to do with myself, and that was the beginning of my sufferings.

“I can tell you conveniently that there is no place like home, and I completely regret my decision as I just wasted four years of my life in Libya, and I didn’t achieve anything at all.

“I will advise Nigerians that they shouldn’t go to Libya due to the sufferings there, and our people are dying regularly, so it isn’t worth it at all,” he said.

Another returnee, who simply identified as Harrison and a father of two, also shared his ordeal in Libya.

“I was promised a better life and so many things in Libya, but on getting there, the opposite was the case.

“I was sold to different people when they realised that I couldn’t give them the money they asked for, you can imagine what I went through as I’m ashamed even to say it.

“As soon as I saw an opportunity to leave through IOM, I had to cash in on the opportunity, though I’m still ashamed because the way I left Nigeria isn’t the same way I came back, so there is nothing to be happy about,” he said.

Miss Joy Aston, another returnee, revealed that she was forced into prostitution by her cousin, who facilitated her journey to Libya.

“My cousin was the one who sponsored my trip to the country after he promised that he would help me secure a job in a multinational company.

“On getting to Libya, the whole narrative changed when he demanded I pay him back the money he spent on me on the trip, and that was how he forced me into prostitution.

“I was stranded for over three years there until IOM brought me back to the country,” she said.

Miss Dimanche Sharon, Chief of Mission, IOM, said that the organisation was committed to educating the public about the dangers of irregular migration.

She said the migrants would be reintegrated into the society, adding that IOM would continue to play a vital role in shaping public understanding of critical migration issues

“We have a lot of teams on the ground that would help the migrants in integrating back into the society with a comprehensive plan to ensure it succeeds.

“They will be closely observed where their immediate and long-term needs would be identified, while proper profiling would be done,” she said. (NAN)