“Nigeria Accounts for 8,700 of 283,532 Irregular Migrants in EU” – Report

Nigerians accounted for an estimated 8,700 out of the 283,532 irregular migrants entering European Union (EU) borders, many of which risked their lives crossing the Mediterranean Sea, it has been revealed.

Deputy Head of Delegation, EU, Richard Young disclosed this disclosure on Thursday, June 10, in Abuja during a seminar on how the EU works, for Abuja Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists.

He, however, said great majority of Nigerians enter and reside in EU legally while millions of Diaspora Nigerians also live in the EU. “As a regional economic power, Nigeria is also on the receiving end of migration, attracting an estimated three million labour workers from neighboring countries,” he said.

According to him, in the first half of 2015, Nigerian citizens ranked 9th of all persons granted international protection in EU’s 28 member states.

“Nigerian nationals are the most numerous among non-European victims of trafficking in human beings and they are also the most numerous among traffickers,” Young stated.

Young who spoke on “EU Development Co-operation with Nigeria: Migration,” stated that the Federal Government is finding it increasingly difficult to effectively manage the growing population of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), adding that trafficking and smuggling of Nigerian citizens remain a critical challenge with regular reports of women and children exploited for sexual purpose and forced labour.