A Nigerian returnee, Mercy Olugbenga, has shared a harrowing account of her time in Libya, where she was allegedly confined for months and subjected to repeated blood extractions by nurses for the benefit of her employer’s ailing mother.
Mercy, who was recently rescued and repatriated to Nigeria, spoke during an interview on ARISE TV’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, where she detailed the abuse and exploitation she endured for years in the North African country.
How It Began
The young woman, an indigene of Kabba, Kogi State, said her journey to Libya was fueled by desperation. At just 20 years old, she dropped out of school and decided to seek better opportunities abroad after her mother was diagnosed with kidney failure.
“My mum was sick. She had a kidney problem. We sold all her properties, and there was nothing else. There is no family anywhere,” she recounted.
Mercy explained that she was lured to Libya by promises of greener pastures that would allow her to raise money for her mother’s medical care. Unfortunately, her quest for survival turned into a nightmare.
Four Years of Exploitation
According to her, she spent four years in Libya, the first 18 months working without pay as she struggled to settle a debt of about ₦2.5 million owed to the agent who trafficked her there.
During this period, she endured maltreatment, frequent job changes, and severe exploitation. But her worst ordeal came in the final home she worked in.
“At one point, I was locked up in a house where my blood was drawn without my consent,” she said.
Locked Up and Used for Blood Transfusions
Mercy revealed that her employer initially hired her to care for an elderly, sick mother and handle domestic chores. However, when the woman’s health condition worsened, Mercy was turned into a source of blood transfusion.
For nearly a year, she was locked inside a room, her movement completely restricted.
“They locked the door before going out. They locked the outside door, they locked the gate door,” she said.
Every month, nurses visited to extract her blood under the pretense of medical routines. It was later that she discovered the blood was being transfused directly into her employer’s mother, who shared a compatible blood group with her.
“I thought it was their normal routine. But in this case, it was every month, which is not supposed to be so. Later, I got to know that my blood matched their mum’s, and they were using it for her transfusion,” she recalled.
Nigerians and Africans Targeted
Mercy also highlighted the systemic discrimination African migrants face in Libya.
“What I experienced in Libya was not me alone. Other Africans and other illegal migrants went through the same. They don’t like us. Maybe they see us as rivals, or because they know wherever Nigerians are, they might take over. So they treat us like animals,” she lamented.
A Message of Warning
Now free, Mercy has urged young Nigerians not to fall victim to human traffickers or be deceived by false promises of prosperity abroad.
“I don’t want any young girl or boy to go through what I went through. Please don’t follow this route,” she pleaded.
Wider Context
Mercy’s story adds to the growing body of testimonies from Nigerian migrants trapped in exploitative conditions in Libya and other transit countries. Over the past decade, thousands of Nigerians have been stranded or subjected to slavery-like conditions, forced labor, sexual exploitation, and organ harvesting in their bid to cross into Europe.
International organizations, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Amnesty International, have repeatedly warned of the dangers of irregular migration through North Africa, calling on governments to do more in tackling human trafficking networks that prey on vulnerable youths.
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