You are here: HomeNews2020 02 07Article 341674

Diasporia News of Friday, 7 February 2020

Source: www.mynigeria.com

My stay in Libya was "perilous" - Nigerian returnee opens up

A Libya returnee excited to be back home A Libya returnee excited to be back home

A Nigerian female returnee from has opened up on the "perilous journey" she had in her 15 months stay in Libya.

The returnee who spoke anonymously was among the 161 Libya returnees welcomed by the National Emergency Management Agency - NEMA, on Thursday at the Muritala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

Narrating her ordeal to NAN, the indigene of Akure, Ondo State, said she left Nigeria as a 19-year-old.

It didn't take too long before deciding to return home having spent a year and three months in Libya.

She explained that she left Nigeria due to pressure on her when her mother had mental health problems and the father of her child abandoned them.

“I was left with the tasks of fending for my siblings, mother and my daughter.

“My mother’s relations and friends abandoned us. I was a tailoring apprentice after my husband left us.

“My mum was thrown out of the house because we could not afford to pay for rent,’’ she narrated.

According to her, feeding became a serious problem, my siblings could not continue schooling and they dropped out of school.

“No one was there for us. I had no alternative than to seek more opportunities outside when I was told that I could secure good jobs.

“It was unfortunate that the so-called good jobs were meant to destroy our future. Most of our ladies are located in connection job while a handful in “Arabu” works.

“Arabu work is like the job of a housemaid which goes with unpleasant experience from torture to overworking into very late hours and waking up very early. The `connection job’ is like introducing ladies to prostitution.

“ The worst of it all was that all efforts to raise money became fruitless as militants or police could burst into our houses, robbed us of our belongings and went away with everything we had worked for over there,’’ she said.

According to her, trying to send something through a Nigerian, you have to part with the same amount you wish to send.

She explained that "a Nigerian would collect cash and asked his relation in Nigeria to send half of the amount to the person that the money was meant for," she said.

The returnee said: “I will never encourage anyone to embark on this type of perilous journey as it is just a waste of one’s life for the period spent on this type of journey. Though it was an experience but a very bad one.

“I need assistance to start my life. My mother is better health-wise and she is hawking pure water now.

“I learnt IOM and other organisations are helping people like us.

“I want to complete my fashion designing apprenticeship but need to source for a means of feeding while I am under apprenticeship.”

(NAN)