‘I was promised New York, found myself in Libya’
Two batches of 173 stranded Nigerians from Libya arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos in the early hours of yesterday.
The returnees arrived the country in two different flights and were received by the Coordinator, Lagos Territorial Office of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Idris Muhammed, at the Cargo Wing of the MMIA.
A chartered aircraft belonging to Al Buraq Air with flight number BRQ189.14 and registration number 5A-DMG.MRA landed at about 04: 52 a.m with 162 from Misrata, while a commercial airline brought 11 other returnees from Bengazil at 5:15 a.m.
According to NEMA, there were 52 adults female, four female children and four female infants as well as 106 adult males, two male children and five male infants. 21 of the returnees came with medical issues.
One of the returnees, 23year old Aishat Areni from Ogun State, said she was lured with the promise of traveling to New York City in the United States only to find herself in Libya.
Miss Areni said her trafficker deceived her that there was opportunity to practice catering in the US because of her interest in catering business, having just graduated from a catering school.
“She told me that she would pay for my transportation and that I would refund when I start working there (in the US),” she said.
Miss Areni added that she did not know they were going to Libya until her mates hinted her after a long journey on the road.
“I did not know that she was deceiving me until we left and embarked on long journey.
“It was my mates that revealed to me that it was Libya they were heading when she started making trouble that it was USA she was promised.
“When we got to Libya, I was told that there’s nothing like catering job that I could either be a house girl or I would be sold out to a prostitution network.”
She said she worked for one year and three months but paid her trafficker her five month salaries of N90,000 per month.
“I decided to return home because the nature of the work there is not ideal for human being,” she said, warning those contemplating a similar trip to Libya to think twice.
“Nigeria is far better than Libya, Libya is dangerous, it is either you are kidnapped, killed, raped, robbed or bombed. Nigerians are not safe there.”
Speaking further, she revealed that it was her mother who lodged a complaint to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Person (NAPTIP) office to complain.
“A phone number of a staff of the Nigerian embassy was sent to me and it was the Embassy staff that facilitated my return to the country. I am grateful to Nigeria Government for helping me back to the country, “she said.