90% of prisoners in Libya are Nigerians and Nigerians constitute the highest number of prostitutes in the country

Xinhua:

More than 11,000 Nigerians have been deported from Libya this year for offenses which include drugs, armed robbery, fraud and prostitution, the official News Agency of Nigeria reported on Friday.

Nigeria's Ambassador to Libya Alhaji Muhammed Ibrahim was quoted as saying that 90 percent of prisoners in Libya were Nigerians and Nigerians constituted the highest number of prostitutes in the country.

"The closeness of Libya to both Italy and the Mediterranean Sea is the major attraction" to Nigerians who are always desirous of going abroad, he said.

According to the ambassador, most Nigerians in Libya come through the Sahara Desert to the northern African country and "by the time they arrive here, they soon realize that it is almost a dead end and, by this time, it is too late for them to go back."

He added that rather than go back home, they opt for drug peddling, armed robbery and other crimes for the men.

"For the ladies, prostitution is the only way out," he said, adding that most male Nigerians arrested in Libya were in possession of substance suspected to be heroin.

"They also carry fake international passports," he said.

The ambassador suggested that the National Assembly should pass a law restricting young men and women without genuine reasons from migrating out of the country.

"I am worried about the way our youths move outside of the country," he said, adding that "thousands of our youths are being swallowed by the desert everyday, all in the name of traveling abroad by any means."

He said the Nigerian government "must restrict their movement to prevent them from embarking on self-destruct journeys."

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