‘I am now ready to remain in Nigeria to start frying Akara’ – Libyan returnee

A Libyan returnee presently undergoing rehabilitation in Delta state has said he willing now willing and ready to remain in Nigeria after all the ‘awful and animalistic’ he passed through trying to cross into Europe.

Okafor Abraham, who hails from Umunede in Ika North-East, said he joined the movement to Libya in November 2016 having paid N150,000.00.

He described his ordeal in the drylands of Kano to Niger republic to Agades and Libya as ‘awful and animalistic,’ and said himself and others in the journey to Europe were fed with addictive foods in Libyan prisons.

“I am now ready to remain in Nigeria to start frying Akara. Government should give us the capital to start up something. If that fails, I will go into agriculture or catering business. My experience was awful,” Okafor said.

Meanwhile, special adviser on international affairs, Dr. Genevieve Modi, who received the returnees, said State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has given directive for the immediate rehabilitation of the returnees.

The State commissioner for economic planning, Kingsley Emu, during an extraordinary session with the returnees in Asaba, lamented that the youth chairman of his council area in Ika North-East, Chuks Odiase, was among them after the state government spent more than N2 million to train him under the state’s youth empowerment programme.

Okafor and Chuks are among the 5,500 people rescued by a high-powered delegation led by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Abdulrahman Dambazau, under the auspices of the European Union (EU) in conjunction with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).