She added that the guardian left her on the “dangerous streets” of Libya, rendering her homeless and without anyone to help her.
ANigerian woman in her early 20s, simply identified as Omowunmi, has sought immediate help from the Nigerian government to evacuate her from Libya.
In a video which SaharaReporters saw on Facebook, the woman who stated she is from Ondo State said “she is dying” after she was left stranded and neglected by her guardian in the North African country.
She narrated that she was suffering from ulcer and her guardian started having issues with her when she requested money for treatment.
She added that the guardian left her on the “dangerous streets” of Libya, rendering her homeless and without anyone to help her.
She, therefore, begged her fellow countrymen and the Nigerian government to come to her aid before she died.
She said “My name is Omowunmi from Ondo State. I am very sick and I need to come back to Nigeria. I need the help of Nigerians. Please have mercy on me. I want to go back to Nigeria. Don’t let me die in Libya.”
She said her illness stopped her from eating regularly.
She continued: “See how I have turned skinny. I have an ulcer and it is affecting me so that it is eating my intestines. I cannot eat well for a month now. My guardian said I ran away from home but that is a lie. I have already paid the money (expenses incurred to move from Nigeria to Libya).”
“One day, I was sick and I told her that I was sick and I wanted to go and take care of myself. And I needed money, my money was with her. I told her to send my money to my mum and give me the rest to treat myself. But she asked me to go and she took my sim card. Since then I could not connect her again. I later connected with her earlier this year, I begged her and even my biological mum did the same but she refused.
“She chased me out around 9 pm. She owed me money and I requested it but she declined. She refused to follow me to the embassy to get registered, She refused. She left me stranded in Libya. I have spent all my money. Please don’t let me die in Libya. I was not like this when I arrived in Libya. But I have suffered.”
When contacted, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission Head of Media, Abdur-Rahman Balogun advised the lady to approach the country’s embassy in Libya for immediate help.
He said, “We are not saying people should not japa (migrate) but they should do it responsibly. Who brought her to Libya and how did she end up there? The commission can only do something if she writes a petition to us or we can send her plea to Diaspora focal point officer for Ondo state.”
Omowunmi’s video surfaced amid a series of reports online purporting that recent virtual campaigns in Libya had intensified calls for the deportation of foreign workers, Nigerians inclusive and limitations on their activities.
A post shared on Facebook by popular platform, LIBYA INF.TV reads: “Virtual campaigns have recently escalated in Libya demanding the deportation of foreign workers and restricting their activity in the country, sparking a wave of condemnation from human rights organizations warning of the spread of feelings of hatred and incitement against hundreds of thousands of foreigners residing in this Maghreb country.”
Another local blog, Libya News Today 1, also called on the government to apprehend undocumented Nigerian workers, proposing a $500 fine and appropriate taxation.
But these claims were debunked by the Nigerian Government. In a statement released on Sunday in Abuja, Eche Abu-Obe, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized that the claims were unfounded.
He assured that, as of the date of the statement, Nigerians living and working in Libya were carrying out their daily activities without facing any harassment from the Libyan authorities.
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