Abuja, Nigeria, 15 November, 2017
Former Vice President of Nigeria and chieftain of the APC, Atiku Abubakar, has described as unbelievable and horrific, reports of Nigerians being auctioned as slaves in Libya.
In a press statement released by his media office in Abuja, the Waziri Adamawa described his shock when watching the CNN news report, which showed video evidence of Nigerian illegal migrants en route to Europe captured by Libyan authorities, being sold off for various amounts in the range of $400.
“It is sad and unbelievable that such horror scenes which belong in the darker pages of the history books, could be re-enacted in this day and age,” he said.
Atiku called for more urgent action from the government, from NAPTIP and from NGOs to sensitise young Nigerians on the dangers of submitting themselves to traffickers in a desperate bid for greener pastures in Europe.
He encouraged young Nigerians to make demands on their creativity and ingenuity to survive in these tough times, rather than succumb to the allure of a false paradise abroad.
The former Vice President described as unacceptable a situation where about 27,000 Nigerians have died in their failed bid to cross into Europe, and urged those still nursing such ideas to perish it.
Atiku also beseech the Federal Government to liaise directly with the government of Libya to ensure that those who have been enslaved are freed, and that the slave trade stops immediately.
“Of course, we may feel that some of these desperate migrants have only themselves to blame for what they are going through, that they broke the laws when they collaborated with criminals to flout border and immigration laws,” the Waziri said.
“However, we must also remember that they are our sons and daughters and brothers and sisters, and we must not abandon them in their time of need.”
