A young Nigerian lady, Mercy Oluwagbenga, has shared her painful story after being rescued from Libya. Mercy, who is from Kabba in Kogi State, warned Nigerian youths not to take dangerous routes in search of greener pastures.
According to a report by Channels News on Wednesday September 3, 2025, she explained that she dropped out of school at age 20 to care for her sick mother. Hoping to make money, she was lured to Libya with promises of a better life. Instead, she fell into what she called “modern-day slavery.”
“For one year and six months, I worked without receiving a kobo because I had to pay the agent who took me to Libya about ₦2.5 million. I was maltreated, forced to change jobs, and at one point, locked up in a house where my blood was drawn without my consent,” she said tearfully.
Mercy added that Nigerians like her were “treated like animals.” She was only able to escape into a camp before help finally reached her. Sadly, while she was trapped, she lost her sick mother back home in Nigeria.
She thanked the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), its boss Abike Dabiri-Erewa, and Dr. Segun Abraham of Trinity Foundation, for making her return possible.
Dabiri-Erewa praised Mercy’s courage and reminded Nigerian youths that irregular migration is “voluntary suicide.” She urged young people to use safe and legal means to travel.
Mercy now hopes to continue her education, which she abandoned in 2018, and says she will work with NIDCOM to warn others about the dangers of irregular migration.
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