Investigative journalist Fisayo Soyombo says he does not blame Nigerians who travel to Libya in search of better economic opportunities, despite the Libya migration dangers they may encounter along the route and after arriving in the country.
Soyombo, founder of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, said some Nigerians would reconsider the journey if they had adequate information about the conditions awaiting them.
He made the remarks during an interview on ARISE News on Sunday, while discussing his 47-day undercover journey from Kano through Niger to Tripoli, where he documented the experiences of migrants travelling along the Sahara Route.
‘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.
According to Soyombo, economic hardship can make migration appear to be the only available escape for some Nigerians, even when the alternative may expose them to harsher conditions.
‘You know, when you are trying to escape economic deprivation, you think that any other option is good. The options in Libya are worse,’ he said.
He explained that some migrants become stranded after reaching Libya because they lack the funds to continue towards Europe. Many then take up jobs to meet their immediate needs and save towards 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 said the migrants also face difficulties protecting whatever money they manage to earn. He noted that irregular migrants cannot open bank accounts because Libya has criminalised irregular migration, leaving them dependent on cash.
‘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 recounted his observations of Nigerians working on farms in desert areas, where he said they could face temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius or more and, in some cases, go without payment.
‘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 said the journey into the desert exposed migrants to temperatures significantly higher than those they might be accustomed to in Nigeria.
‘The Agadir that was the start of the desert was like 20 degrees centigrade to 32 degrees centigrade. In the desert, you are talking temperatures of 40 and more as you go to farm,’ he said.
Soyombo further described an incident in which some migrants were allegedly taken to a farm and made to work without pay.
He said the migrants were stopped at a village by an Arab man while he was travelling undercover. Soyombo said he escaped when he saw the man approaching, but those who could not get away were taken to work on a 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,’ he said.
According to Soyombo, the same man returned the following day, took the migrants’ money and sent 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,’ he said.
He added, ‘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.’
Soyombo said his experience demonstrated how difficult it was for migrants to predict what they would encounter along the route, regardless of how much preparation they put into the journey.
He said he spent six months preparing for his undercover investigation and was initially advised to budget for 30 days, but eventually spent 47 days completing the journey.
‘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.
He said many Nigerians undertaking the journey did so without sufficient information about the risks involved.
‘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.
Soyombo said the purpose of documenting his experience was not to condemn Nigerians seeking to leave the country, but to give potential migrants first-hand information about what the journey entails.
He said some of those he encountered told him they would not have undertaken the journey had they known the difficulties they would face.
‘So we have to help people to let them know how that Europe they want to get to is extremely difficult,’ he said.
According to Soyombo, sharing photographs and videos from his journey could help Nigerians make more informed decisions before attempting the route.
‘And for me, the most straightforward way to help them is to say, ‘This journey you’re about to go through, I went through it and have documented it.” These are photos; these are videos,’ he concluded.