Investigative journalist Fisayo Soyombo has warned Nigerians that migrating through the Sahara Route to Libya brings worse conditions than economic hardship at home.
Soyombo gave this warning on Sunday during an interview on ARISE News after completing a 47-day undercover trip from Kano through Niger to Tripoli.
He embarked on the trip to document the experiences of migrants and collect evidence to show people the extreme danger of travelling to Europe through irregular routes.
Soyombo explained that many Nigerians who reach Libya get trapped in the country after their money runs out. These migrants take up hard jobs to eat and save money for another attempt to cross into Europe.
Many migrants end up working on farms in the Libya desert under hot temperatures above 40 degrees centigrade. Agadir, which was the start of the desert, had temperatures between 20 degrees centigrade and 32 degrees centigrade.
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“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.
He said migrants who refuse to farm in Nigeria end up doing the same work in Libya under worse heat without guarantee of payment.
He recalled an incident where an Arab man stopped their group at a village. Soyombo ran away when he saw the man coming, but those who could not run fast were taken to work.
“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.
The next day, the same man returned to a nearby hut, took cash from the migrants, and forced them to work on the farm again without pay.
“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 added.
What readers should know about the Libya Route
Libya has criminalised irregular migration, which makes the journey illegal for undocumented travellers. Because of this law, irregular migrants cannot open bank accounts in Libya to store their money safely.
Migrants are forced to keep cash on them at all times, making them easy targets for robbers. When employers exploit them or criminals rob them, these migrants cannot report to local authorities or seek help anywhere.
The journey is also unpredictable in terms of time and planning. Soyombo prepared for six months for the project and was told to budget 30 days, but the trip ended up taking 47 days.
Dangers of irregular migration to Europe
Soyombo said many Nigerians attempt the journey because they face economic deprivation at home and think any other option is better. However, many migrants he met on the road confessed that they would not have left Nigeria if they knew the level of suffering ahead.
“You know, when you are trying to escape economic deprivation, you think that any other option is good. The options in Libya are worse,” he said.
He stated that he does not blame anyone who travels through the route, but he wants to provide photos and videos to show people the real conditions.
“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,” Soyombo said.
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