Senator Natasha Tasks FG On Repatriation Of Nigerian Women, Children Held In Libyan Prisons

The Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has called on the Federal Government to take urgent steps to repatriate Nigerian women and their children currently detained in Libyan prisons, describing their continued incarceration as a national embarrassment and a grave human rights concern.

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan made the call during Tuesday’s plenary while moving an additional prayer to a motion sponsored by Senator Etim Bassey Aniekan (Akwa Ibom North-East) titled “Urgent Need to Protect Nigerians from Trafficking, Slavery, and Human Rights Abuses in Libya.”

The motion, which brought to light the disturbing situation faced by Nigerians trapped in Libya, detailed accounts of torture, sexual violence, organ harvesting, and modern-day slavery allegedly perpetrated against victims of irregular migration.

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, in her contribution, drew the attention of the Senate to the harrowing conditions of Nigerian women who, after escaping trafficking rings, were re-arrested and violated while in Libyan detention.

> “I made an additional prayer that the Nigerian Immigration and Nigerian Prison Services should liaise with their Libyan counterparts to repatriate Nigerian female prisoners and their children who were born in Libyan prisons,” she said.
“Many of these women were victims of sex trafficking who, while in detention, suffered repeated sexual assaults by prison officials. Some were impregnated, gave birth, and now live in deplorable conditions with their children who are Nigerians by descent.”

The motion, seconded by the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, painted a grim picture of the humanitarian crisis faced by Nigerians in Libya.

Senator Aniekan, in his lead presentation, revealed that in the first quarter of 2025 alone, nearly 1,000 Nigerians were repatriated from Libya, with survivors recounting experiences of forced detention, torture, sexual abuse, and blood extraction.

The Senate further referenced the case of Mercy Olugbenga, a young Nigerian woman who reportedly sold her family’s property to fund her journey to Libya but ended up in captivity for over a year, during which her blood was allegedly drained for sale.

The motion cited findings from Amnesty International and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) documenting widespread rape, forced labour, and killings of migrants in Libyan detention centres.

The Senate expressed deep concern that such continued violations against Nigerians not only damage the nation’s international image but also erode confidence in the government’s ability to protect its citizens abroad.

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan emphasized that as a signatory to international treaties such as the Palermo Protocol, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, Nigeria bears both moral and legal responsibilities to intervene.

> “This is not just about policy; it is about humanity,” she said. “Those women and children deserve to be brought home, rehabilitated, and given a chance to rebuild their lives.”

Following deliberations, the Senate urged the Federal Government to constitute a multi-agency task force involving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) to ensure the immediate repatriation of affected citizens and provide them with proper rehabilitation support.