Nigerian detainees in a Libyan prison have released a distressing video, pleading for help and showcasing their harsh conditions.
They chant, “Freedom! Freedom!! Freed!!!” while highlighting their suffering, including poor sleeping arrangements and unsanitary toilets.
The detainees reveal they have been imprisoned for over a year and five months, alleging that the Nigerian government collected money from them but has provided no assistance.
In the video seen by SaharaReporters, the detainees express their dire situation, stating, “We are dying.”
They threaten to take drastic measures if no help is forthcoming, noting that while other nationalities are fleeing, Nigerians remain to uphold their country’s name.
“Please come to our aid. Look at this place. We need help, we are suffering.”
They stated in the video, “Freedom! Freedom!! Freedom!!! See where we are sleeping, we are suffering, see our toilets. Nigerian people are suffering. We have been here for over one year and five months.
“The Nigerian president has collected money from us. Our Nigerian president collected N1,500 from us and he is doing nothing. We are dying.
“Please we need help or else we are going to burst this place because all other nationalities are running away. We Nigerians stay calm because we want to protect our country and our names.
“Now if you are not taking any step, we are going to take a step by ourselves.
“Please come to our aid. Look at this place, we need help, we are suffering. Freedom! Freedom!!! Freedom!!!”
Meanwhile, the management of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) on Tuesday said its attention had been drawn to the viral video “showing some Nigerians stranded in Libya and calling for help to be evacuated back home”.
The statement issued by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, NIDCOM Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, said, “While this video will be looked into, it is worth noting that over 10,000 Nigerians were evacuated from Libya a few years ago, based on a memo by Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, approved by the then President and a coalition of multi-agency team set up to evacuate all Nigerians stranded in Libya.
“For the umpteenth time, there was a clear warning by Hon. Abike Dabiri- Erewa to Nigerians to desist from that dangerous path. But the warning was not yielded to.
“In the last couple of months, almost 4000 more have been brought back from Libya, thanks to the efforts of the International Organisation for Migration in Nigeria, which has been regularly evacuating Nigerians stranded in Libya back home.
“Sadly, many Nigerians continue to return to Libya and find themselves stranded again.
“It must be pointed out here that the Commission has brought the video to the attention of the office of the National Security Adviser who heads the multi-agency evacuation team as well as the International Organisation for Migration who has also rescued thousands stranded.”
“However, we warn again that deadly pathways to migration must be avoided, and traffickers who traffic these victims need to be arrested, named and shamed,” it added.