Don’t travel to Libya, hardship worse there, FIJ founder Soyombo warns Nigerians
Investigative journalist Fisayo Soyombo has cautioned Nigerians seeking to escape economic hardship through irregular migration that conditions in Libya are often far worse than those they leave behind.
Soyombo, founder of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, spoke on ARISE News on Sunday about his 47-day undercover journey from Kano through Niger to Tripoli. He documented the experiences of migrants travelling the Sahara Route.
He said many Nigerians facing economic deprivation view migration as an escape without fully grasping the realities that await them in Libya.
“You know, when you are trying to escape economic deprivation, you think that any other option is good. The options in Libya are worse,” Soyombo said.
According to him, some migrants who reach Libya become stranded after exhausting their funds and are forced to take whatever jobs they can find while trying to save for another attempt to cross into Europe.
“What happens a lot of time is, they get to Libya, they realise they can’t cross. They are stuck. They run out of funds. Then they have to go into many jobs to at least be able to eat. Then they start saving to cross,” he said.
Soyombo noted that irregular migrants cannot open bank accounts because Libya has criminalised irregular migration, leaving them to keep cash and exposing them to robbery.
“But don’t forget, you’ve gone into Libya illegally because Libya already criminalised irregular migration. You can’t open a bank account. So you keep cash. Anyone can rob you,” he said.
He also described the harsh conditions faced by migrants who take up agricultural work in the desert, where they endure extreme heat and are sometimes left unpaid.
“The Nigerians who are in Libya are farming. Do you know the temperatures in Libya? It’s a desert. The hottest Nigerian state I’ve been to is probably Yobe,” Soyombo said.
He added that temperatures at the edge of the desert ranged from about 20 to 32 degrees Celsius, rising to 40 degrees and above further into the desert where the farms are located.
Soyombo recounted an incident in which an Arab man stopped a group of migrants at a village and forced some of them to work on a farm without pay.
“We were stopped at a village. One Arab man came. And you know, again, because I was on a mission, my eyes were everywhere. Once I saw him approaching, I took to my feet,” he said.
Those who could not escape were taken to the farm.
“The guys that were not fast, he conscripted them to the farm. They worked for like three hours in this scorching sun. And he didn’t pay them a dime,” Soyombo said.
The following day, the same man returned, robbed the migrants of their cash and forced them back to work.
“The following day, he came back, went to a nearby hut, passed them and said, why would you be a migrant and you have money? No migrant, if you want money, go and work on the farm.
“Robbed them, took their cash, took them to the farm and he didn’t pay them a dime. Who were they going to complain to? He robbed them and then he enslaved them,” he said.
Soyombo said he does not blame Nigerians who have made the journey. Many migrants he met told him they would not have travelled if they had known the suffering that lay ahead.
“I don’t blame them, I will never sit anywhere and blame anyone who has gone to Libya. Because on that trip, a lot of migrants told me, oh, if I knew I would suffer this much, I wouldn’t come,” he said.
He said the purpose of his investigation was to provide first-hand information about the dangers so that Nigerians can make more informed decisions.
“So we have to help people to let them know how that Europe they want to get is extremely difficult,” Soyombo said.
He noted that the journey is far more unpredictable than most migrants realise. Despite six months of preparation and advice to budget 30 days, he spent 47 days on the route.
“So for instance, the first thing is that you can never predict that journey. I spent six months preparing for this project. I was told to budget 30 days. I ended up spending 47 days,” he said.
Many embark on the trip without adequate information about the risks.
“So they embark on that journey not knowing how dangerous it is. It’s far more dangerous than… It’s not a journey I would wish on my enemy,” he said.
Documenting the experience through photos and videos, he concluded, is one of the most direct ways to show intending migrants what they could face.
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