A 23-year-old Nigerian returnee from Libya, Endurance Daniel, has narrated the harrowing experiences she endured during her migration journey, revealing that she and other migrants were forced to drink their urine to survive prolonged dehydration in the desert.
Speaking after returning to Nigeria with a group of 182 migrants assisted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Daniel described a journey marked by hunger, exploitation, and death.
According to her, she travelled to Libya at the age of 17 after being persuaded by a family acquaintance who promised better economic opportunities and employment in the North African country.
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Daniel said she joined 52 other migrants in a single vehicle for the desert crossing, a journey that lasted more than a month under extreme conditions.
“We spent more than a month in the desert. There was no water, so we drank our urine to survive. At some point, some people could no longer urinate, while others passed blood instead,” she recalled.
She revealed that seven people died during the journey and that their bodies remained in the desert because the group lacked the means to bury them or move elsewhere.
Daniel said she arrived in Libya in 2019 only to discover that the promises made before her departure were false. According to her, she was told that migrant women had only two options for survival—domestic work or prostitution.
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“On getting to Libya, my sponsor told me there were only two jobs available for women migrants: domestic work and prostitution,” she said.
She explained that when she attempted to return home, traffickers prevented her from contacting her family and insisted she must first repay the costs of her journey.
Daniel further alleged that migrants were subjected to intimidation and threats, with traffickers warning that anyone who refused instructions could be sold into forced prostitution.
READ ALSO: NEMA receives over 148 Nigerian returnees from Libya
She described conditions in migrant camps as harsh, saying survivors were often given inadequate food and transported secretly to avoid detection by security agencies.
Despite the ordeal, Daniel expressed gratitude for her safe return to Nigeria and urged young people to carefully verify overseas opportunities before embarking on irregular migration journeys.
She warned that the reality of migration through illegal routes often differs sharply from the promises made by traffickers and recruiters.
Her account highlights the dangers faced by many African migrants attempting to reach North Africa and Europe through irregular migration routes, where thousands encounter exploitation, abuse, detention, and life-threatening conditions.
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