2.2.9. Re-trafficking

According to Roland Nwoha, Country Director at IRARA Nigeria, ‘it's very common that returnees want to go back and very common that many of them are being re-trafficked.’ The source said that the constant economic, emotional, and social pressure compounded with lack of support from family or community, and persistent stigma, often pushes returnees to consider re-migrating. Some try to leave on their own, while others reconnect with Madams. ‘When they look back at the life they had in Europe - even if they were undocumented and lacked the freedom they desired - they still had access to decent shelter, regular meals, and sometimes stipends to support themselves and their children. For many, even living under those conditions feels more manageable than returning home to face daily struggles.’ Those who return with children – the source added - face additional pressure, struggling to provide education, nutrition, and care while also trying to survive themselves. Nwoha informed that many returnees usually start out hopeful upon coming back, but once they are confronted with the realities - often within the first year – they feel overwhelmed, and many end up wanting to leave again. ‘We have seen this happen with quite a number of returnees.’261

Out of the 69 returnees interviewed by Dr Adeyinka in 2024 for her research study, five had returned to Libya by 2025. When the academic met some of those still in Nigeria in April 2025, several mentioned they were considering going back, despite not wanting to, as they felt that returning offered at least some income to support their families. For most, the decision was not solely about themselves, but about providing for children, elderly parents, or other dependents. The same source stated to be aware of specific cases where traffickers contacted returned victims requesting them to provide a certain number of girls in exchange for payment for each girl ‘sent their way’ and adding that if the person wished to return abroad, they could facilitate that as well.263

There are also returnees who feel strongly they would never want to go back, having gone through very difficult experiences in Europe. As noted by Roland Nwoha, many in this group managed to save some money, secure decent accommodation, and return with some stability. For them, the reintegration package served more as a supplement to what they had already prepared. This group tends to include more older returnees. In contrast, younger returnees are often more desperate to go back, feeling restless and disillusioned with life at home. 264