Up to 25,000 Nigerians have been held in slave prisons and sex camps in Libya while trying to get to Europe, it emerged today.
The figure was revealed in a meeting of Nigeria’s Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters.
The Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, Julie Okah-Donli said: ‘It is my honour and privilege to raise a cry for help in this hallowed chamber on behalf of the most vulnerable members of the society, especially women and children.
Up to 25,000 Nigerians have been held in slave prisons and sex camps in Libya while trying to get to Europe, it emerged today. Pictured: Two Nigerian migrants are rescued in the Mediterranean Sea
‘In recent months the odious and perverse consequences of human trafficking and irregular migration were forcefully brought to our television screens with gory tales.’
Defending her agency’s budget, the Director General also announced that around 5,000 of the victims have been repatriated from Europe and other African countries.
She said: ‘NAPTIP has been working in conjunction with other governmental and non governmental agencies such as NEMA, International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and others to provide help to these unfortunate Nigerians.
‘All these people need to be properly received, profiled and assisted.’
Ms Okah-Donli also thanked her president for the work he has done to raise awareness of the issue.
She said: ‘I wish to place on record my deep appreciation to President Muhammad Buhari for consistently putting the issue of human trafficking at the centre of global discourse at various international fora.
‘In the aftermath of the recent crisis stemming from the inhuman treatment of Nigerians in Libya and elsewhere, both the Presidency and National Assembly came out strongly with statements band actions to to strengthen national response to irregular migration.’
It comes as new figures show net immigration from the EU plummeted to its lowest level for three years – with just 9,000 moving to the UK in three months this year.
Experts said the Brexit vote has prompted the sharp fall in the figures as more Europeans look to move back home.
The Office for National Statistics said that from April to June this year 39,000 EU nationals moved to Britain, but 30,000 left.
This means that net immigration from the EU stood at just 9,000 for the three months – the lowest the ONS began publishing the figures in early 2015.
The ONS did warn that there are big seasonal fluctuations in how many EU migrants move in and out of Britain – as many come to the UK for seasonal work.
Official figures show 230,000 more people came to the UK than left in the year to June – down from a record high of 336,000 in the 12 months before the historic Brexit vote