‘How Libyans killed my husband, daughter’

What is your name?   For certain reasons, I don’t want to mention my name. Now that you rode through the desert, how are you feeling? I am fine and all gratitude goes to God When did you go to Libya and how old are you? I went to Libya three years ago and I […]

What is your name?

 

For certain reasons, I don’t want to mention my name.

Now that you rode through the desert, how are you feeling?

I am fine and all gratitude goes to God

When did you go to Libya and how old are you?

I went to Libya three years ago and I am 28 years old.

How many of you left Nigeria for Libya?

There were 18 girls in number and then there were other four boys.

You are from which state?

My father is from Delta State and my mother is from Imo State.

What took you to Libya?

I went to look for money.

What business were you doing?

I was doing like house help, working in the restaurants.

What happened to you in your last days in Libya?

During my last days in Libya, I was not okay because I saw hell. The fact is that as a woman in Libya, if you don’t do prostitution, you will have nothing to live on….so for me, I went and worked in restaurants. Boys in Libya were threatening people and  along the line, I met my husband.

You mean you met your husband in Libya?

Yes.

What is his name?

Alex.

He is from where?

He was from Ghana.

How long did you live with him?

I lived with him for those three years and that was how I got my children.

In which part of Libya did you stay?

We stayed in Saba.

Are these children yours and what are their names?

The older one is Patience and her native name is Ulama, she is 2 and a half years old and the name of this small boy is Bernard. He is five month old.

Where is your husband now?

He is dead.

What happened to him?

My daughter that you are seeing here had a twin sister. When the war in Libya broke out, one of those days I took this one (Patience) and my newly born baby to the market to buy things. I left the elder twin girl with my husband at the house which is located in Misha area in Saba. When we returned from the market, we couldn’t find our house, talk less of my husband. The whole place was on fire and I couldn’t see anything.

How did the house got burnt?

The rebels threw bomb into the house and my husband and one of the twins were killed by the blast.

Have you seen the bodies of your husband and daughter?

No, because I couldn’t go there again.

Where did you move to after the incident?

I went to a place called Brak. That was where I stayed for two weeks and came back to Saba and met my sister. She took me to the house she  was staying and made preparations for my coming back to Nigeria.

Are your parents alive?

Yes, they are alive.

Now that you are back in Nigeria, how do you feel?

I am not happy at all…  I am not happy.

Why are you not happy?

This is because I am going back home without anything after staying away for three years.

Where are your belongings?

I don’t have anything. It was my sister that gave me the few cloths I have now.

While in Libya, did you save some money?

Yes, I used to save but when I started giving birth to babies, I stopped saving because a mother cannot save.

Now what are your plans?

My plans…before I left Nigeria, I wanted to be an artist, to sing and dance but now, with the condition I am in, I don’t know what to do.