*Senate Moves To Rescue Nigerian Women, Children Trapped In Libyan Prisons
THERE was a mild drama in the Senate on Tuesday, October 14, as senators refused to second a motion moved by the senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, to amend a motion addressing the abuse of Nigerian immigrants’ rights in Libya.
During the debate that followed, Akpoti-Uduaghan urged the senate to investigate the plight of Nigerian women currently held in Libyan prisons.
She alleged that many of those affected have been turned into sex slaves by prison warders and now care for children born as a result of the abuse, urging her colleagues to direct the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to work with Libyan authorities to secure their repatriation.
After she presented her motion, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, called for a seconder, but unsually, none of the senators, across all the political lines, including her female colleagues, responded.
There was pin-drop silence until Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, eventually rose to second the motion, thereby easing the tension in the chamber.
The senate, following a motion by Aniekan Bassey on the urgent need to safeguard Nigerians from trafficking, slavery and human rights abuses in Libya, consequently urged the Federal Government to initiate immediate diplomatic and humanitarian measures to repatriate hundreds of Nigerian women and children currently held in Libyan prisons.
Bassey had earlier expressed deep concern over the persistent dangers of irregular migration through Libya, which he described as “a corridor of death and despair” for many desperate Nigerians.
He cited reports indicating that about 1,000 Nigerians were repatriated from Libya in the first quarter of this year alone, with many survivors recounting harrowing ordeals of torture, sexual abuse and forced labour.
The senate also pointed to findings by Amnesty International (AI) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which documented widespread abuses, including rape, arbitrary detention by both state and militia-run detention centres in Libya.
Akpoti-Uduaghan proposed an additional prayer for the chamber to direct the NIS and the Nigeria Correctional Service to collaborate with Libyan authorities to fast-track the release and repatriation of Nigerian female inmates and their children born in detention.
Lamenting over the plight of the victims, she stated that many of them were trafficked under false pretences, only to end up imprisoned after escaping forced prostitution, noting: “These women were sexually assaulted in detention, leading to pregnancies.
“Their children, born behind bars, must not suffer for crimes they did not commit.”
Her motion, which was eventually seconded by Bamidele, was unanimously adopted, and after extensive debate, the senate urged the Federal Government, through the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Humanitarian Affairs, as well as NAPTIP, to develop a robust reintegration and protection programme for affected persons.
The chamber also urged the strengthening of diplomatic engagement with Libyan authorities and mobilisation regional action through the AU, ECOWAS and the United Nations (UN) to ensure the protection of Nigerians in detention and accountability for human rights violations.
In his remarks, Akpabio commended Bassey for bringing the motion to light and directed the Committee on Legislative Compliance to monitor the implementation of the resolutions.
He charged youths to take caution and be guided by patriotism, adding: “Home is home. Many who leave in search of greener pastures only find pain abroad.
“Let us build our nation together, for there is no greater pride than being safe and free in one’s homeland.”
