Japa: What Fisayo Soyombo witnessed during his 47-day journey will make you think twice

• Fisayo Soyombo warned Nigerians against irregular migration to Libya, saying conditions there are worse than many expect.

• He revealed that undocumented migrants often become stranded, exploited, robbed and forced into unpaid labour.

• Soyombo based his warning on a 47-day undercover investigation from Kano through Niger Republic to Tripoli.

• He urged Nigerians to understand the risks of the Sahara migration route before deciding to leave the country.

Founder of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), Fisayo Soyombo, has sent a strong warning to Nigerians thinking of using the dangerous Sahara route to Libya in search of a better life.

According to the investigative journalist, many people leave Nigeria hoping to escape the country's economic hardship, only to find themselves trapped in even worse conditions in Libya.

Speaking during an interview on ARISE News on Sunday, Soyombo reflected on his 47-day undercover journey from Kano through Niger Republic to Tripoli, Libya, where he documented the realities of irregular migration.

He said many Nigerians believe any destination outside the country automatically offers a better life, but that assumption can be costly.

“You know, when you are trying to escape economic deprivation, you think that any other option is good. The options in Libya are worse,” Soyombo said.

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Soyombo explained that many migrants arrive in Libya only to realise they cannot continue their journey to Europe. With no money left and no legal status, they end up taking whatever jobs they can find just to survive.

“What happens a lot of time is, they get to Libya, they realise they can’t cross. They are stuck. They run out of funds. Then they have to go into many jobs to at least be able to eat. Then they start saving to cross,” he said.

He added that because Libya criminalises irregular migration, migrants cannot access basic financial services like opening a bank account. That forces them to carry cash around, making them easy targets for criminals.

“But don’t forget, you’ve gone into Libya illegally because Libya already criminalised irregular migration. You can’t open a bank account. So you keep cash. Anyone can rob you,” he said.

Soyombo also painted a grim picture of the type of work many undocumented migrants are forced into, especially farming in Libya's harsh desert environment.

According to him, temperatures regularly exceed 40 degrees Celsius, making farm work extremely dangerous.

“The Nigerians who are in Libya are farming. Do you know the temperatures in Libya? It’s a desert. The hottest Nigerian state I’ve been to is probably Yobe,” Soyombo said.

“The Agadir that was the start of the desert was like 20 degrees centigrade to 32 degrees centigrade. In the desert, you are talking temperatures of 40 and more as you go to farm,” he continued.

Sharing one of the disturbing moments from his undercover mission, Soyombo said he narrowly escaped being forced to work on a farm after spotting an Arab man approaching.

“We were stopped at a village. One Arab man came. And you know, again, because I was on a mission, my eyes were everywhere. Once I saw him approaching, I took to my feet,” he said.

Those who couldn't escape, he said, were taken away to work under the scorching sun without receiving any payment.

“The guys that were not fast, he conscripted them to the farm. They worked for like three hours in this scorching sun. And he didn’t pay them a dime,” Soyombo said.

According to him, things became even worse the next day when the same man allegedly robbed the migrants before forcing them back to work.

“The following day, he came back, went to a nearby hut, passed them and said, why would you be a migrant and you have money? No migrant, if you want money, go and work on the farm.”

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“Robbed them, took their cash, took them to the farm and he didn’t pay them a dime. Who were they going to complain to? He robbed them and then he enslaved them,” he said.

Despite the painful experiences he witnessed, Soyombo said he does not judge Nigerians who decided to take the risky journey.

Instead, he believes many simply lacked accurate information before leaving home.

“I don’t blame them, I will never sit anywhere and blame anyone who has gone to Libya. Because on that trip, a lot of migrants told me, oh, if I knew I would suffer this much, I wouldn’t come,” he said.

The award-winning journalist said his undercover investigation was meant to give Nigerians firsthand evidence of what really happens along the migration route, so they can make informed decisions.

“So we have to help people to let them know how that Europe they want to get is extremely difficult,” Soyombo said.

He also noted that the journey is far less predictable than many migrants expect.

Although he spent six months planning the operation and was advised to budget 30 days, the mission eventually lasted 47 days.

“So for instance, the first thing is that you can never predict that journey. I spent six months preparing for this project. I was told to budget 30 days. I ended up spending 47 days,” he said.

Soyombo stressed that many migrants begin the trip without fully understanding the dangers waiting for them.

“So they embark on that journey not knowing how dangerous it is. It’s far more dangerous than… It’s not a journey I would wish on my enemy,” he said.

He concluded by saying documenting the experience through photos and videos was the most practical way to warn others.

“And for me, the most straightforward way to help them is to say, this journey you’re about to go through, I went through it and have documented it. These are photos, these are videos,” Soyombo concluded.