Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari has harsh words for Libyans involved in auctioning off fellow Africans as slaves.
African leaders are under fire for not speaking up against the barbaric practice.
“Some Nigerians were being sold like goats for few dollars in Libya,” Buhari said on the sidelines of the African Union-European Union Summit being held in the Ivorian city of Abidjan.
WATCH: French president Macron publicly humiliates Burkina Faso president, tells Africans “you’re your own problem” over Libya slave trade
Buhari expressed shock at how some Libyans could shun lawful businesses and resort to slave trade.
”After 43 years of [Col Muammar] Gaddafi, why are they recruiting so many people from the Sahel including Nigerians?” he demanded.
“All they learned was how to shoot and kill. They didn’t learn to be electricians, plumbers or any other trade,” he blasted the slave traders.
In search of greener pastures, many Africans illegally enter Europe through the help of human traffickers and smugglers. Many go through Libya. Those unable to pay smugglers could end up on the “slave market”. Some even sell fellow greener pasture seekers to slave traders.
Buhari said his government was working with UN-backed Syrian authorities to fly stranded Nigerians back home. He also said the government intend to prevent Nigerians from embarking on the dangerous journey.
Bring ’em home!
“For people to cross the Sahara desert and Mediterranean through shanty boats… we will try and keep them at home,” Buhari said.
It’s unclear how many stranded Nigerians the government can bring back home.
About 240 Nigerians were voluntarily flown home in a joint operation by Libya and the UN migrant agency on Tuesday night, BBC reported.
Although UN reportedly knew about the slave trade before now, it didn’t show concern till CNN started reporting on it.
Libya was all nice and cozy till former US president Barack Obama and former America secretary of states Hillary Clinton apparently decided Gaddafi had to go.
After the former Libyan leader was killed, Clinton said in an interview: “we came, we saw he died (and laughed at loud…hahahaha).”
Observers say what is going on in Libya is a result of the failings of US foreign policy.
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