Rescued Nigerian Migrant Shares Shocking Experience of Abuse in Libya
Story: written by sprinnewsng September 4,2025
A Nigerian migrant, Mercy Olugbenga, has revealed the harrowing ordeal she endured while working in Libya before being rescued.
In an interview on Arise Television, Mercy explained that desperation pushed her to accept a job offer in Libya without prior knowledge of the country. She recounted how she and her brother were left stranded after selling their family’s belongings to treat their sick mother, who suffered from kidney complications.
According to her, she only discovered she was travelling to Libya a day before departure. “I had never heard of Libya until then. I was told there was work, and I agreed immediately,” she said.
Mercy described how life in Libya turned into a nightmare. She alleged that her employers confined her indoors for a full year, locking every door before leaving the house. She further revealed that her blood was extracted monthly under the pretense of medical treatment for a family member of her employers.
“What I experienced in Libya is not peculiar to me. Other Africans and illegal migrants faced similar abuse. The Arabs there treated us like animals,” she recounted.
Her testimony highlights the dangers faced by Nigerians and other Africans who embark on irregular migration in search of better opportunities, often falling prey to exploitation and inhumane treatment in foreign countries.
