Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) Abike Dabiri-Erewa has received Mercy Oluwagbenga, a young Nigerian recently rescued from Libya, after a video of her crying out for help went viral.
Mercy, an indigene of Kabba, Kogi State, on Wednesday narrated her experience in Libya, urging young Nigerians not to embark on irregular migration.
According to her, she dropped out of school at 20 and was lured to Libya with the promise of greener pastures to raise money for her sick mother.
She said she worked for one year and six months without pay because she had to repay an agent about N2.5 million.
She added that she was maltreated, changed jobs several times and was once locked in a house where her blood was drawn without her consent.
Mercy said she eventually escaped into a camp before her rescue.
She expressed appreciation to Dabiri-Erewa, NIDCOM and Dr. Segun Abraham of Trinity Foundation for facilitating her return.
“I don’t want any young girl or boy to go through what I went through. Please don’t follow this route,” she pleaded, while also seeking support to return to school, which she left in 2018 at 300 level.
In her remarks, Dabiri-Erewa commended Mercy for surviving the ordeal.
She noted that many others had died in the desert or the Mediterranean Sea while some remain untraceable.
The NIDCOM boss reiterated that irregular migration amounts to “voluntary suicide” and advised Nigerian youths to seek safe and legal travel channels.
She also thanked Dr. Abraham for the financial support that enabled Mercy’s return.
The NIDCOM boss said the commission would facilitate Mercy’s rehabilitation and continue advocacy against human trafficking and irregular migration.
She also noted that President Bola Tinubu introduced NELFUND to help Nigerians complete their education.
