Press Statement
November 27, 2017: Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has described the reports of Nigerians being auctioned in Libya as slaves as horrific and unbelievable!
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 up to 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,”
“I call for more urgent action from the government, from NAPTIP and from NGOs to sensitise and teach young Nigerians on the dangers of submitting themselves to traffickers in a desperate bid for better lives in Europe.”
“I urge young Nigerians to make demands on their creativity and ingenuity to survive in these tough times, rather than be lost to the allure of a false paradise abroad”.
“It’s totally unacceptable a situation where about 27,000 Nigerians have died in their failed bid to cross into Europe, and I urge those still nursing such ideas to perish it.”
“The Federal Government Of Nigeria must as a matter urgency 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,”
“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.”