Irregular migrants from Nigeria face violence, exploitation, says IOM

A recent report by WAKA Well by IOM X has indicated that irregular migrants from Nigeria and other West African countries face various forms of violence, exploitation and other abuses along the Central Mediterranean route.

WAKA Well by IOM X is an International Organisation for Migration (IOM) working in Nigeria. According to the report, irregular migration from Nigeria is mainly directed towards Europe through North Africa, with Nigerians almost exclusively using the Central Mediterranean route.

The report noted that an estimated 84 per cent of migration within West Africa is towards another country in the region, which is seven times greater than migration flows from West Africa to other parts of the world.

On regional migration, the report claimed that an estimated 7.5 million migrants move around West Africa. This, according to the report, is the largest number of migrants in Africa, adding, “they move internally, intra-regionally, continentally and internationally.”

With the rising trend in illegal migration worldwide, especially from poorer to richer countries, WAKA Well by IOM X said it has continued to educate Nigerians with innovative campaigns in West Africa, which seek to prevent exploitation by empowering young people to make informed decisions about their future.
 
Reports have shown that Africa is one of the continents with the highest number of migrants, legal and illegal. On this claim, the report explained that young Nigerians make up the largest population of the growing flow of migrants from Africa to developed countries, whereby in 2016, over 20,000 involved in the Mediterranean Sea crossing were reported to be from Nigeria.

The report noted that the high number of West Africans on the move is linked to several factors, including visa-free movement among the 15 Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).