The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has warned black immigrants to avoid Libya for now.
Dabiri-Erewa stated this position on Sunday in reaction to a video and several photographs that have gone viral online claiming the killing of blacks in Libya.
She said though the video and photographs remained unverified, past experiences indicate that it was better for black immigrants to avoid Libya for now.
The statement reads in full: “The attention of the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora has been drawn to a video and pictures being circulated on the purported killing of black immigrants in Libya.
“While the authenticity of the pictures and tapes in question cannot be verified, it is a known fact that Libya has been executing alleged black illegal immigrants for years.
“As the Chairman Committee on Diaspora in the House of Representatives in the Seventh Assembly, we intervened in the case of 24 Nigerians about to be killed in Libya.
“The Committee, in collaboration with SERAP, an NGO, petitioned the UN, AU, ECOWAS, and Ghadaffi yielded to pressure and released them.
“As at two months ago, NEMA alongside, the Nigerian Embassy in Libya evacuated over 2000 Nigerians from Libya.
“The Nigerian embassy in Libya, working with NEMA has relentlessly intervened in cases involving Nigerians in trouble in Libya and will continue to do so.
“Libyans are dealing with their own struggles as there is no recognised government in place.
“The office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora hereby appeals again to Nigerian migrants to avoid Libya as penalty for illegal migration to Libya, when caught, is usually a death sentence.”