Rights group asks FG to probe possible Nigerians in Libya mass grave

By Ologeh Joseph Chibu

The Nigerian Human Rights Community (NHRC) has called on President Bola Tinubu and the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, to take immediate action regarding the discovery of a mass grave in Libya.

The rights group fears Nigerians are likely to be among those found in the mass grave.

The group urges the government to identify the possibility of Nigerians among the deceased and facilitate their dignified repatriation.

In a statement signed by NHRC official Taiwo Adeleye referenced Libya’s Attorney General, who confirmed the discovery of a mass grave in the desert North of Kufra city. Authorities have attributed the deaths to a criminal gang accused of subjecting migrants to torture and inhumane treatment.

Reports indicate that the grave contained between 30 to 70 bodies, according to Prutsch, a representative speaking from the Libyan capital, Tripoli. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has not determined how long the bodies have been in the grave but suggested they may have been there for an extended period.

This discovery follows a similar incident in March of last year when 65 migrant bodies were found in a mass grave in southwestern Libya. Libya has long been a key transit route for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty in hopes of reaching Europe via the Mediterranean. According to the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, 22% of the 965 recorded migrant deaths and disappearances in Libya occurred on land routes.

In January, Libyan authorities reported the rescue of 263 migrants of various sub-Saharan nationalities, who were found in deplorable conditions while being held by a smuggling gang.

The NHRC urges swift intervention to ensure justice for the victims and to bring any affected Nigerians home for a proper burial.