The Senate on Wednesday called on the authorities of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) to collaborate with Libyan authorities to secure the release and repatriation of female Nigerian inmates currently languishing in Libyan prisons, many of them with children born in detention.

The resolution of the red chamber followed its consideration and adoption of a motion on the “urgent need to safeguard Nigerians from trafficking, slavery, and human rights abuses in Libya,” sponsored by Senator Aniekan Bassey.

The prayer for the release of the women was moved by Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who decried the plight of the victims, many of whom she said were trafficked under false pretences and later imprisoned after escaping forced prostitution.

“These women were victims twice over; first of traffickers, then of a broken system,” she said. “Several were sexually assaulted in detention, leading to pregnancies. Their children, born behind bars, must not suffer for crimes they did not commit.”

Leading debate on the motion, Bassey described the continued use of Libya as a migration route as “a corridor of death and despair” for many desperate Nigerians, despite the well-known dangers.

According to him, about 1,000 Nigerians were repatriated from Libya in the first quarter of 2025 alone, with many survivors recounting harrowing ordeals of torture, sexual abuse, and forced labour.

“One survivor, Mercy Olugbenga, sold her family’s property to fund her trip to Libya, only to be held captive for over a year while her blood was repeatedly drained against her will,” he said, adding, “It is a chilling reminder that slavery still exists in our time.”

Bassey also cited data from Amnesty International and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which documented widespread abuses, including rape, arbitrary detention, and killings, in both state and militia-run detention centres in Libya.

In its resolutions, the Senate urged the Federal Government, through the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Humanitarian Affairs, as well as the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), to develop a robust reintegration and protection programme for returnees. The proposed plan should include psychosocial support, skills training, and start-up assistance.

The Senate further called for stronger diplomatic engagement with Libyan authorities and regional action through the African Union (AU), ECOWAS, and the United Nations to ensure the protection of Nigerians in detention and accountability for human rights violations.

It also mandated Its Committees on Diaspora, Judiciary, Human Rights, and Foreign Affairs to investigate human trafficking networks and unlicensed travel agents facilitating illegal migration, with a view to tightening existing laws and enforcement mechanisms.

In addition, lawmakers urged NAPTIP to play an active role in both the repatriation and rehabilitation processes, while collaborating with the Senate committees to expose trafficking rings. The National Orientation Agency (NOA) and related institutions were also tasked to intensify public awareness campaigns on the dangers of irregular migration.

Contributing to the motion, Senator Victor Umeh condemned Africa’s silence on the ongoing abuses, saying, “We are members of the African Union, yet Africans are treating fellow Africans worse than animals. The AU must act; no country should be allowed to get away with such cruelty.”

In his remarks, Senate President Godswill Akpabio directed the Committee on Legislative Compliance to monitor the implementation of the resolutions. He also cautioned Nigerian youths to be patient and cautious in their quest for a better life abroad.

“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,” Akpabio said. (The Nation)