Another Libyan returnee narrates horror tale

isaac dachen

November 30, 2017 12:16 PM

Nigerians who were sold as slaves in Libya have continued to narrate their tales of woes after they were brought back to the country.

A few days after a disturbing documentary went viral on how Libyan officials sell Nigerian migrants as slaves, another returnee,

Otoide who was one of the recent batches to return to the country narrated how he saw how 20 Nigerian girls were sold off as slaves in Libya at the same time.

The Nation reports that Otoide who expressed his happiness on being back to his country gave a chilling account of how he and others were fleeced and transported to Libya with a promise of better life in Europe, only to end up in jail and untold hardship in the north African country.

Many of the returnees, who are camped in Benin City, the Edo State capital, look skinny and exhausted with some of the women are carrying babies, whose fathers are not known.

ALSO READ: "Heartbreaking: How Nigerian immigrants are sold as slaves for $400 in Libya [Video]"

Otoide said he witnessed the sale of 20 Nigeria girls in the prison where they were all kept.

“They I saw it. It was God that saved me. I left Nigeria with N500, 000. I spent six months in Libya jail after the man that took my money ran away.

We were 55 that traveled from here to Libya; 25 people died in the desert. More than seven people died from hunger and thirst inside the prison. Can’t you see how I look lean and hungry? I need to go for treatment.”

Swearing that he must hunt down the trafficker who collected his money, Otoide said the fellow named Charles had duped so many unsuspecting victims of various amounts of money all in the name of getting them to Europe.

He added that apart from persuading them to travel, Charles also collected money in addition to running a transit camp in Libya for those traveling illegally across the Mediterranean to Europe.

Some of the deportees corroborated Otoide's assertion, adding that the said Charles collected money for the purpose of taking them to Europe only to abandon them in Libya.

They claimed that Charles had several bank accounts with different names through which he collected money from victims. He is also accused of running the Libyan camp where Nigerians are kept for days without food.

ALSO READ: "No Place Like Home: Emotional Libya deportee kneels on airport tarmac to thank God"

Another returnee, Osas Blessing, said Charles is among those nicknamed 'Burgers' or 'Connection Man' on the Libya route.

Blessing said:

“I gave Charles N450, 000 but when I got to Libya, he increased it to N600, 000. He is very wicked. He does not care for human life. He is a Benin man. He will say if you die, you die. He pushed us into the sea at the wrong time.

I heard he just left Nigeria with new passengers to Libya. He has frustrated many Nigerians.”

Watch videos of the returnees narrating their horrendous plights while in Libya:

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