M.C., 20 years old, Nigeria

As soon as I arrived in Sabha, I was detained at an informal prison called “Osopo Prison” run by Ghanaian traffickers. They put me in a cell with 80 other people, every day I suffered beating and the torture of the “Falaka” (beating on the soles of the feet).
Every week my relatives were forced to pay 200 Libyan dinars (approx. 124 euros) to stay alive, while for the liberation 3000 Libyan dinars were needed (approx. 1864 euros). I was then transferred to another center controlled by Arabs who killed random prisoners to “give an example” to the others so they would not complain.
During my imprisonment in this second prison, I suffered tortures with electric shocks (they put electrodes on our feet and made us jump into a room flooded with water) and tried to poison me with a drink made from plants. Then, one night I was picked up by the traffickers and I was taken to the Libyan coast.
I saw hundreds of people on the beach guarded by armed guards who were shooting at the people who were embarking. Together with a hundred people I was shut in a boat, forced into a seated position. Just before departing, they shouted, “go and die on your own”.
This testimony was gathered at the Psychological Center in November 2017