The House of Representatives has identified lack of inter-agency collaboration as largely responsible for the migration of Nigerians abroad through illegal routes.
According to the lawmakers, the spate of illegal migration through the desert eventually encouraged the slavery incidence recently uncovered in Libya.
At a meeting between Committees on Foreign Affairs and Human Rights and stakeholders Wednesday, the lawmakers said the situation in Libya has made it imperative to find ways of addressing the situation.
At the meeting were the Nigeria Head of Mission, Libya, Iliyah Fachano as well as officials of Department of State Services (DSS), National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the National Human Rights Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The joint Committee was mandated by the House to unravel circumstances that led to the death of 26 Nigerian girls at the Mediterranean Sea.
Chairman of the joint Committee, Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje said following the disturbing report from Libya, the country must find ways of addressing the situation.
Saying that lack of inter-agency collaboration among the various security agencies in the country was a major reasons for illegal migration of Nigerians to other countries, Elendu-Ukeje noted, “A situation where many of them either end up been killed or enslaved such as the recent revelation in Libya as reported by the Cable News Network (CNN) which has drawn worldwide condemnation.”
Deputy Chairman of the joint Committee, Edward Pwajok, said security agencies in the country have to come out with a lasting solutions to the menace of human trafficking and illegal migration.
In his remarks, The Head of the Nigerian Mission in Libya, Fachano said that the Libyan situation was not new, that it had long been in existence.
The role of some Nigerians who were living in Libya was described as despicable as they were found culpable of being actively involved in selling off their kinsmen.
They also said being a State with an unstable government contributed largely to the situation
While the committee continues its findings, it requested more submissions on the situation in Libya by the various agencies.
Source:The Nation
