- A Nigerian lady trying to migrate into Europe through the Sahara desert survived the harsh condition for ten days
- She was abandoned by her traffickers in the desert
A 22-year-old Nigerian woman was left stranded in the Sahara desert while trying to enter Europe through the harsh desert. Her traffickers abandoned her in the arid zone for ten days.
She was given the nickname Adaora; according to the International Organisation for Migration, she was the only female among the survivors rescued on Sunday, May 28.
“She left Nigeria in early April hoping for a better future in Europe. “There were 50 migrants on the pick-up truck when it left Agadez for Libya, but only six are still alive today,” Niger Chief of Mission for IOM, Giuseppe Loprete, had said.
The 22-year-old Nigerian lady rescued by local authorities in the Sahara desert.
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The lucky victim was lucky to have been given the chance to tell her story. “We were in the desert for 10 days. After five days, the driver abandoned us. “He left with all of our belongings, saying he was going to pick us up in a couple of hours, but he never did,” she recalled.
Within two days, about forty four migrants had died. This made the others start walking in order to find help. Adaora revealed that they were forced to drink their own pee in order to survive. She has been taken to IOM camp in Niamey, Niger.
Having left Nigeria with two of her close friends who died in the desert, the young lady is lucky to have been alive.
“They were too weak to keep going,” she stated sadly. “We buried a few, but there were just too many to bury and we didn’t have the strength to do it,” Adaora adds. “I couldn’t walk anymore. I wanted to give up,” she said.
Two other migrants helped her by carrying her until a truck driver picked them up. The local authorities were alerted in Agadez region of north-eastern Niger. Adaora was unconscious by the time they got to the IOM’s transit centre in Dirkou.
She was offered medical assistance and was resuscitated in no time. Two of the other migrants went back with some members of the local authority to find the bodies of those who passed away and identify them.
Adaora lost two of her friends while in the desert.
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The young Nigerian lady is recovering and would be taken back to Nigeria soon. Traumatised by the entire journey, she sadly revealed that she would not have left Nigeria if she knew what was ahead. She wants to continue working as a nurse when she returns.
To find out the number of people that have died while trying to cross illegally, check here.
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