A young Nigerian woman who was apparently on the way to Europe to seek greener pastures has reportedly died at the hands of her abductors who tortured and starved her in Libya.
According to a Facebook post by Vahalla Soja on Monday, July 19 (today), the deceased and some other African migrants were on their way to Libya when their vehicle broke down at Qatrun, a village in the Murzuq District in Southern Libya, on the main road to Chad and Niger.
The migrants were said to have been abducted by some criminals and detained in a ‘Tranki’ (a kind of prison) in Sabha, Southwestern Libya.
The abductors allegedly demanded a ransom of 8,500 Iraqi Dinars (N2.3m) each from the victims as condition for their release.
“We just lost this girl to the hands of tranki in sabha they were coming to Libya and their car broke down at gatron so people came and carried them to sabha and put them in tranki demanding for 8,500dinars each with beatings and starvation and this lady died yesterday.” Vahalla wrote.
According to reports, these armed groups who are also smugglers, target small convoys of migrants, steal their possessions and then threaten their lives unless a ransom is paid.
Several videos have emerged of migrants being tortured by their abductors whose contacts failed to pay the required ransom.