The disturbing news of how bodies of 26 Nigerian women were recovered dead at the Mediterranean sea has been making the rounds. In search of greener pastures, they met their unfortunate end after embarking on the perilous journey only to die in a very sad way.
Earlier this week, the world woke up to the heart-wrenching images of the immigrants being brought out in body-bags from the Spanish ship, Cantabria as part of a operation Sophia, an EU anti-trafficking force.
In the hopes of finding a better life in Italy; a country notorious for prostitution, the women said to be between the ages of 14-18 lost their lives when a rubber boat carrying 64 people across the Mediterranean sea sank, putting an untimely end to their lives.
Several reactions have trailed the incidence with Nigeria’s Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs, Abike Dabiri describing it as “most unfortunate and tragic.
“It is tragic and lamentable. It is just not worth it ultimately. There has to be sustained awareness campaigns on the dangers inherent in such journeys. Migration policies are getting tougher all over,” she said.
Females account for a larger percentage of the people who die while trying to go overseas. This is usually due to their inability to cope with the terrible conditions immigrants travel in.
Dabiri further added that even if the dangerous journey is survived, it is not always greener out there.
A former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, who expressed her displeasure said President Buhari hasn’t personally reacted to the news which wasn’t a good show of empathy.