A 23-year-old Nigerian returnee, Endurance Daniel, has recounted a harrowing migration journey in which seven out of 52 passengers died, while survivors were forced to drink urine to stay alive during a weeks-long desert crossing en route to Libya.
Daniel spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) shortly after returning to the country under a voluntary repatriation programme supported by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
She said she was deceived at age 17 with promises of legitimate work abroad, but ended up trapped in a trafficking network that exposed her to extreme dehydration, exploitation and abuse.
“We spent more than a month in the desert. There was no water, so we were drinking our urine to survive. At a time, urine was no longer coming out. Some of us had blood instead,” she said.
According to her, the journey involved 52 migrants packed into a single vehicle, with seven of them dying before reaching their destination due to harsh desert conditions.
Daniel said the dead were abandoned in the desert, while survivors were left helplessly watching as the bodies decomposed.
“We watched their bodies decay for days because there was nothing we could do,” she said.
She explained that her journey began in 2019 after a family acquaintance convinced her mother that she would find work in North Africa and be able to support her family.
However, upon arrival in Libya, she said the reality was far from what was promised, as she was told only domestic work and prostitution were available for female migrants.
“My sponsor told me there were only two jobs for women migrants—domestic work and prostitution. There was nothing else,” she said.
Daniel further alleged that traffickers blocked her attempts to return to Nigeria, insisting she must repay transportation and processing fees before being allowed to leave.
She said access to communication with her family was deliberately denied as a form of control.
“When I asked for a phone to contact my family, he refused. He feared my family would send money for me to return,” she said.
The returnee also accused traffickers of using threats and intimidation, warning migrants that refusal to comply could result in being sold into forced prostitution.
“He said if we refused, he would sell us to places where people are forced into prostitution. We were frightened and complied,” she added.
Daniel said survivors of the desert ordeal were later moved into overcrowded camps where food was insufficient and conditions remained harsh.
“They gave us plain spaghetti without salt or anything. We ate it because we had no choice,” she said.
She added that migrants were frequently transported secretly to avoid detection by security operatives, noting that arrest often led to detention or further exploitation.
Daniel, however, expressed gratitude for her safe return and urged young Nigerians to thoroughly verify overseas job offers before embarking on irregular migration journeys.
“People should not believe everything they are told. What I experienced was completely different from what was promised,” she warned.
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