A 23-year-old Nigerian returnee from Libya, Endurance Daniel, has shared a harrowing account of her journey through the Sahara Desert, revealing that she and other migrants survived for days by drinking their own urine because they had no access to water.
Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after returning home, Daniel said she left Nigeria at the age of 17 after being persuaded by a family acquaintance who promised her a better life and job opportunities in Libya.
According to her, the reality turned out to be far different from what she had been told.
“We spent more than a month in the desert without water,” she recalled. “We drank our urine just to stay alive. Eventually, some of us became so dehydrated that urine stopped coming out, and some people began passing blood instead.”
Daniel said she travelled with 52 other migrants in a single vehicle, adding that seven people died during the journey because of the harsh conditions.
“Those who died were left behind in the desert. We watched their bodies decompose because there was nothing we could do,” she said.
She explained that the decision to leave Nigeria was driven by poverty and promises made by her mother’s friend, who claimed that her own children were thriving in Libya.
“She told my mother I could work for less than a year, make good money and even start a business afterward,” Daniel said. “Things were very difficult at home, so I believed her.”
Daniel arrived in Libya in 2019, but soon discovered that the opportunities she had been promised did not exist.
“Once I got there, my sponsor told me there were only two jobs available for women migrants — domestic work and prostitution,” she said.
Shocked by the situation, she immediately sought a way back home, but was told she could not leave until she repaid the money spent on her trip.
“When I asked to call my family, they refused because they were afraid my relatives would send money for my return,” she explained.
She alleged that traffickers used threats and intimidation to control migrants, often forcing them into exploitative situations.
“They told us that if we refused to cooperate, we would be sold to places where people were forced into prostitution. We were terrified,” she said.
Daniel said she eventually agreed to some of their demands simply because she wanted the chance to contact her family again.
“I hadn’t spoken to my family for months. I was desperate to hear from them,” she said.
Recounting life after the desert crossing, she said migrants were taken to camps where food was scarce and conditions were poor.
“They gave us plain spaghetti with no salt or anything else. We ate it because we had no choice,” she said.
She also claimed that migrants were frequently hidden in vehicles and moved secretly to avoid detection by immigration authorities.
“If security officers found you during inspections, you could end up in prison. If they didn’t, you were considered lucky,” she added.
Despite the trauma she endured, Daniel expressed gratitude for the opportunity to return to Nigeria and urged young people to be cautious about offers of overseas opportunities.
“People should not believe everything they are told,” she said. “What I experienced was completely different from the promises that convinced me to leave home.”
