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Senate seeks rescue of Nigerian women, children from Libyan prisons
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Outrage erupted in the Senate on Tuesday as lawmakers moved to rescue hundreds of women and children trapped in Libyan prisons.
Describing their ordeal as “modern-day slavery,” Senators Asuquo Ekpenyong and Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan sought urgent diplomatic action to end the abuse and bring the victims home.
The resolution followed a motion moved by Senator Aniekan Bassey (Cross River South), who drew attention to the recurring cases of trafficking, slavery, and gross human rights abuses faced by Nigerian migrants in Libya—a country that has long served as a deadly transit point for those seeking to reach Europe illegally.
Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central) moved an additional motion mandating the Nigerian Immigration Service and the Nigerian Correctional Service to liaise with Libyan authorities to expedite the release and repatriation of Nigerian female inmates and their children born in detention.
The motion, seconded by Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, was unanimously adopted.
Natasha Uduaghan decried the horrific experiences of the victims, most of whom were lured abroad under false promises of employment, only to be trafficked and later imprisoned after escaping forced prostitution.
“These women were victims twice over—first of traffickers, then of a broken system.
“Several were sexually assaulted in detention, leading to pregnancies. Their children, born behind bars, must not suffer for crimes they did not commit,” she said.
In his lead presentation, Senator Bassey described Libya as “a corridor of death and despair” for many desperate Nigerians who fall prey to human traffickers and criminal gangs.
He cited reports indicating that about 1,000 Nigerians were repatriated from Libya in the first quarter of 2025 alone, with many survivors recounting harrowing ordeals of torture, sexual violence, and forced labour.
“One survivor, Mercy Olugbenga, sold her family’s property to fund her trip to Libya, only to be held captive for over a year while her blood was repeatedly drained against her will.
“It is a chilling reminder that slavery still exists in our time,” Bassey told the Senate.
The Senate referenced reports by Amnesty International and the International Organisation for Migration documenting widespread abuses—including rape, arbitrary detention, and killings—by both state- and militia-run detention centres in Libya.
Following a heated debate, the Senate resolved to urge the Federal Government—through the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Humanitarian Affairs, as well as NAPTIP—to design a comprehensive reintegration programme for returnees, including psychosocial support, skills training, and startup aid.
It also called for stronger diplomatic engagement with Libyan authorities and the mobilisation of regional support through the African Union, ECOWAS, and the United Nations to ensure protection and justice for detained Nigerians.
Additionally, the upper chamber mandated its Committees on Diaspora, Judiciary, Human Rights, and Foreign Affairs to investigate human trafficking networks and unlicensed travel agents facilitating illegal migration, with a view to tightening existing laws and enforcement mechanisms.
An amendment by Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South) directed NAPTIP to play an active role in both the repatriation and rehabilitation processes while working with the Senate committees to expose trafficking rings.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North) proposed another amendment, urging the National Orientation Agency and other relevant institutions to intensify public sensitisation campaigns on the dangers of irregular migration—a motion seconded by Senator Ned Nwoko (Delta North) and adopted.
“Nigerians have no business being in Libya. We need to start educating and discouraging Nigerians that there is no greener pasture in that country,” Oshiomhole warned.
Senator Anthony Ani (Ebonyi South) described the ordeal of Nigerian migrants in Libya as “a stain on our national conscience,” while Senator Victor Umeh (Anambra Central) condemned the silence of African leaders over the abuses.
“We are members of the African Union, yet Africans are treating fellow Africans worse than animals,.
“The AU must act—no country should be allowed to get away with such cruelty,” he said.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio commended Senator Bassey for bringing the motion to the fore and mandated the Committee on Legislative Compliance to monitor implementation of the resolutions.
In an appeal to Nigerian youths, Akpabio cautioned against irregular migration.
“Home is home. Many who leave in search of greener pastures only find pain abroad. Let us build our nation together, for there is no greater pride than being safe and free in one’s homeland,” he said.
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Oyebanji names government buildings after Fayose, Fayemi, Oni
Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has approved the naming of newly completed government buildings after three former governors of the state in recognition of their contributions to its development.
The former governors are Chief Ayodele Fayose, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and Engr. Segun Oni. They are also expected to commission the facilities named in their honour.
The announcement was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Governor’s Special Adviser on Media, Yinka Oyebode.
According to the statement, two of the buildings, named after Fayemi and Fayose, will be commissioned on July 31 and August 3, 2026, respectively.
It added that another building named after Segun Oni is at an advanced stage of completion and is scheduled for commissioning in October.
The statement recalled that in October 2024, Governor Oyebanji named the remodelled Presidential Lodge after the state’s first civilian governor, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, who later commissioned the facility during activities marking the administration’s second anniversary.
It further stated that Fayemi, Fayose and Oni will attend the commissioning ceremonies as special guests of honour and officially inaugurate the buildings named after them.
According to the statement, the commissioning of the projects marks the beginning of another phase of project inaugurations by the Oyebanji administration as it concludes its first term.
The government said the initiative reflects the administration’s commitment to completing ongoing projects and making them available for public use in line with its Shared Prosperity Agenda.
News
Tinubu Meets New NBA Chair, Badejo-Okusanya
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday received the President-elect of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Mrs Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Badejo-Okusanya was accompanied to the meeting by some senior lawyers and other lawyers who were on her campaign team.
Recall that Badejo-Okusanya has been elected the 33rd President of the NBA.
She secured a total of 12,317 votes, representing 47.18 per cent of the total votes cast in Saturday’s NBA national election.
The first female NBA president defeated her closest challengers, Lateef Akangbe, SAN, who garnered 7,934 votes, and Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, who polled 5,855 votes.
Tinubu had congratulated her on her election as the first elected female President of the NBA, describing her victory as a milestone for the legal profession and a triumph for merit, excellence and gender inclusion.
Watch the video here
News
Osun Poll: APC Heading for Crushing Defeat, Imole Campaign Council Fires Back at National Chairman
By Gloria Ikibah
The Imole Campaign Council (TICC) has dismissed claims by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, that the party’s array of governors, National Assembly members and other political heavyweights would guarantee victory in the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election.
Reacting to remarks likening the APC’s political strength to a trailer against a “Keke Napep”, the council described the analogy as a display of political arrogance and evidence that the ruling party had misread the mood of Osun voters.
In a statement signed by the Chairman of its Media and Publicity Committee, Rep. Bamidele Salam, the council argued that elections are determined by the electorate rather than by the number of influential politicians a party can mobilise.
According to the statement, “The people of Osun State are not waiting for political heavyweights from outside the state to decide their future, the electorate are capable of making their own independent choice based on the performance of the government in power.
“The APC National Chairman may have assembled what he calls a political trailer, but he should understand that the people of Osun State are not political cargo to be moved around by outsiders. They are the owners of the mandate, and they alone will determine who governs them.”
The council maintained that the forthcoming governorship election would be decided by the performance of the incumbent administration rather than political rhetoric.
“The August 15 election will not be a contest between a trailer and a Keke Napep. It will be a contest between a performing Governor who has earned the confidence of his people and an APC candidate who is struggling to gain acceptance among the electorate.
“The reality on the ground is that Governor Ademola Adeleke enjoys tremendous goodwill among the people of Osun State because of the visible achievements of his administration. His record in road infrastructure, healthcare, education, workers’ welfare, water supply, agriculture, youth empowerment and other critical sectors speaks directly to the people”, he said.
The campaign council also questioned the popularity of the APC governorship candidate, Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, arguing that the party’s dependence on external political figures reflected an inability to build grassroots support within the state.
The council further challenged the APC to focus on presenting policies and programmes instead of relying on political symbolism.
“The APC governorship candidate, Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji is obviously weak and unpopular, the decision of the APC to rely heavily on political figures from outside Osun is an indication of its candidate’s inability to independently mobilise the people.
“Rather than boasting about the number of governors and National Assembly members being deployed to Osun, the APC should tell the people what its candidate has to offer. The people are interested in issues, performance and credible leadership, not political metaphors”, he said.
The Imole Campaign Council urged the opposition party to respect the intelligence of Osun voters by running an issue-based campaign and offering what it described as credible alternatives ahead of the governorship election.
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