The National Commission for Refugee, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) has rescued and returned 4,000 Nigerian migrants from Libya, Niger, Mali, Chad, and Sudan this year.
The agency’s Southwest Zonal Coordinator, Mr Alex Oturu, disclosed this at a workshop in Lagos.
The rescue efforts were carried out in collaboration with partners.
The workshop, titled “Japa: A symptom or solution?” was organised by the Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC), an arm of the Catholic Church in Lagos.
During the event at the Catholic Church of the Assumption, Falomo, Oturu urged intending migrants to avoid illegal methods and instead follow the legal route to travel abroad.
He emphasised that the agency is conducting a massive awareness campaign to educate Nigerians about the dangers of illegal migration.
Oturu warned that illegal migration exposes individuals to human rights violations due to a lack of proper documentation or meeting the requirements of the target country. He highlighted the risks of trafficking and exploitation faced by people along transit routes and in the country they are migrating to, among other dangers.
He emphasised that migration is a right and not a crime. He stressed the importance of correctly obtaining relevant information and documentation and contacting relevant agencies before migrating.
Oturu mentioned that agencies such as NCFRMI, the Migrant Resource Centre within the Ministry of Labour, and others can guide Nigerians throughout the process, ensuring they have the correct information and are not trafficked, exploited, or have their rights infringed upon.
He assured that the commission, in collaboration with partners, is working diligently to ensure that stranded Nigerians are returned safely, orderly, and dignifiedly. Additionally, the agency is providing returnees with welcome packs to facilitate their integration into different government programs for empowerment.
Fredrick Uche Oko, the Head of the Public Enlightenment Unit at the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), warned about the activities of traffickers and detailed their methods of deceiving unsuspecting Nigerians into travelling through their channels into slavery, prostitution, and forced labour.
He said Nigerians must be wary of people, including family members, who make suspicious offers to send them abroad, noting that many have fallen prey to traffickers.
Chylian Ify Azuh, founder of the Female Returned Migrant Network, said most issues of illegal migration put people in vulnerable positions that end up in trafficking.
She said her network provides psychosocial support and referrals to organisations that ensure economic support, such as skills acquisition and training for these individuals.
Azuh, a survivor herself, said some of these migrants grapple with debt bondage from traffickers who took them abroad and subjected them to sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, and forced labour, which could endanger their health.
Sly Maduforo, Coordinator of the JDPC, Catholic Church of the Assumption, Falomo, Lagos, said it is essential to highlight the positive and negative aspects of migration, saying it can be a good thing when handled correctly but a serious challenge when people embark on it without proper information or going through the legal route.
