Death Of 26 Nigerians Trying To Reach Italy: FG Says ‘Tragic, Avoidable’
The federal government has expressed the worry over the increasing deaths of Nigerians trying to reach Europe through illegal means following the death of 26 Nigerian women on the coast of Libya, describing it as ‘tragic, avoidable.’
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, who spoke on the matter in Abuja on Tuesday, described the deaths of as “most unfortunate and tragic’’.
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She described the deaths of these young Nigerians, mostly women and girls, as avoidable and preventable.
In a statement by her Special Assistant on Media, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, she lamented for the umpteenth time that promising young Nigerians embarking on such dangerous journeys, in search of greener pastures, end up faced rather with hopelessness, torture, despair and sometimes death, as in this case.
“It is tragic and lamentable. It is just not worth it ultimately. There has to be sustained awareness campaigns on the dangers inherent in such journeys. Migration policies are getting tougher all over. ”.
Dabiri-Erewa said that President Muhammadu Buhari has been working with the International Office of Migration (IOM), to bring back voluntary returnees, adding that “even if survived, it is not usually greener out there’’.
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She therefore appealed to the Italian authorities to ensure thorough investigations into the deaths and reiterated her appeals to Nigerians to desist from such journeys.
Regrettably, such trips are usually paid for, sometimes as high as $4,500 dollars as inhumane traffickers profit from the illicit business, luring the victims who ignorantly fall for the apparently fake lure of a better life out there.
The boats now being used are getting smaller and more dangerous, and those on the other side are not particularly willing to save them from drowning any more.
No fewer than 26 Nigerians were reportedly got drowned in the Mediterranean Sea on Sunday.
It was alleged that the Nigerians are sexually abused and murdered at the sea.
