In recent times, Nigerians have been made to undergo inhumane treatments outside their country. The rate at which Nigerians are losing their lives outside their country is becoming high and alarming. Nigerians risk their lives to leave their country all in search of greener pastures, every year thousands of Africans including Nigerians struggle to cross the Mediterranean sea into Europe and a lot of them lose their lives in the process. Currently, Nigerians are amongst the migrants captured on that route being sold into slavery.
Slave trade spans many cultures, nationalities, and religions from ancient times to the present day. Slavery became common in much of Europe during the Dark Ages and it continued into the Middle Ages. The Dutch, French, Spanish, Portuguese, British, Arabs and a number of West African kingdoms played a prominent role in the Atlantic slavery.
Although slavery is no longer legal and has hardly practiced anywhere in the world, human trafficking remains an international problem and an estimated 25-40 million people are enslaved today, the majority in Asia.
Currently, Libya is trending for the slave trade. Libya works by preying on the tens of thousands of vulnerable people who risk everything to get to Libya’s coast and then across the Mediterranean into Europe a route that’s been described as the deadliest route on earth.
Libya is the main gateway for people attempting to reach Europe by sea, with more than 150,000 people making the crossing in each of the past three years.
The refugees are usually from several African countries and they say they have fled war, poverty, and unemployment in their countries. It is sad that Nigerians are caught in this web as well.
When will the Nigerian government stand up for its citizens being molested outside the country? Recently some Nigerians with fake refugee claims were rejected in Canada yet Nigeria rejected them as well. As much as some Nigerians are to blame for giving in to desperation and taking extreme measures, the Nigerian government should be kind enough to fight for its citizens in the diaspora.
Remember the 26 Nigerian women who died while trying to cross the Mediterranean sea? some of them were found sexually molested while some were even pregnant. In recent findings in Libya, lots of Nigerian migrants are being sold into slavery and brutality, and a Nigerian slave is said to cost 145,000 naira.
Celebrities including Chris Brown, Snoop Dogg, and Tuface Idibia have spoken up on this brutality going on in Libya. The Nigerian government is being implored especially to send aids and protect Nigerians in Libya and in the diaspora as well.
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