From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Federal Government has condemned the trafficking and maltreatment of Nigerians in Libya and Niger Republic.
The government lamented that it constantly receives calls from trafficked Nigerians, who want to return to the country.
Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Tijjani Aliyu Ahmed, who stated this during a thematic webinar, yesterday, in Abuja, assured Nigerians of the government’s commitment to ensure that those trafficked are released and returned to Nigeria.
He said: “You see, we have experienced a lot of issues as a result of trafficking. When you go to Libya today, you see so many of our Nigerians that have been trafficked out of the country, through irregular ways.
“And we have been receiving calls, agitation, appeals, that we should please intervene. Of course, Nigeria is making an effort to ensure that those people that are there in Libya and other parts of the world are being returned back to the country.
“I think this is one of the major efforts that this Commission is making to ensure that those individuals, who have been trafficked out of the country are returned back to the country.”
Ahmed, who is also the chairman of dialogue, announced that the government would come up with data of Nigerians who left in an irregular manner.
“But you see, this now brings the issue of data management. We need to know how many of them left this country in an irregular manner. That is why the issue of this data management comes up.
“And I think when we do not have the record, we will not get it right. We should be able to know how many people were there in Libya, how many people in Niger, how many people in Sudan, how many of them in Chad, and so on and so forth.
“Until we know the number of them, until we have the data of those involved, I think that is when we will do our work right.
“And that is why we consider this thematic meeting, which is an issue on data management, very key, very important in solving the issue of migration governance,” he said.
As Chair of the Rabat Process, he said: “Nigeria remains firmly committed to promoting mutual learning, regional cooperation, and capacity building in migration data governance.
“We see this webinar as part of a larger continuum of engagement that will strengthen our shared vision for migration management grounded in evidence, inclusivity, and human dignity.
“I wish to commend the Rabat Process Secretariat, the ICMPD, and all our partners for convening this important exchange.
“I encourage all participants to engage actively, share insights and experiences, and contribute to shaping a stronger, data-informed future for migration governance in our region.”
