My Libya misadventure cost me the lives of my son, mother – Returnee

Most Nigerians, who embark on irregular migration to Europe, usually imagine that their lives will be greatly improved once they reach their destinations. Unfortunately, the reality for most is vastly different. Many lose their lives during the journey. Those who do make it to their destination usually face all manners of difficulties and long to return home, but end up getting stranded and trapped in a foreign land. Others are summarily deported.
Thirty-year-old Naomi (surname withheld) is one of such Nigerians, who have had the harrowing experience of taking the risk to travel through Libya in search of the proverbial greener pasture in Europe.
According to the International Organisation for Migration, over 8,000 Nigerians in Libya have voluntarily returned home between January and May 2018, due to the inhuman treatment meted out to them by their North African hosts, with many of them falling victims of human trafficking and slavery, rape and death.
Naomi was one of the participants in a reintegration training programme sponsored by the European Union and the International Organisation for Migration, in collaboration with the Federal Government of Nigeria, in Lagos. Naomi and other participants shared their experiences about reintegration in Nigeria after being deported from the North African country.
Like Naomi, many deported migrants had thriving businesses in Nigeria before they embarked on the dangerous journey to Europe through Libya. They left behind a solid livelihood for the promise of a better life that never materialised, and often ended up penniless or in severe debt.
Once back in Nigeria, deported migrants often face additional frustrations and find it difficult to fit into communities they had chosen to leave in search of a better life.
Recounting her experience, Naomi said, “It has not been easy at all. I had a flourishing hairdressing business before I went to Libya. But, I have lost everything. I also lost my mother and my 11-year-old son, while I was away. When they could not connect with me, my mother died of heart attack, while my son died because there was nobody to take care of him.
“But, I thank God I came back alive. I will start all over again; I believe I will make it in Nigeria. No more going out of the country.”
Similarly, 32-year-old Ubo (surname withheld) from Akwa Ibom State, said life had become so unbearable since he returned to Nigeria. Ubo said that he had even had to contemplate suicide.
“I came back on May 11, 2017, and since then life has been very tough. I was on the verge of committing suicide. I wanted to end it once and for all, because I didn’t know where to start from all over again. I came back with nothing; I lost everything,” he said.