Did Libya Deport 150 Nigerian Women To South Africa?
On May 4, 2026, an X user @Knick_RSA claimed that Libya had deported over 150 Nigerian women to South Africa. The post had a graphic image with the write-up, “Libya deported over 150 Nigerian women to South Africa” and is captioned, “😳😳😳what the hell is happening guys ?”
When this report was published the claim had about 380,300 views and over 7,700 replies, reposts, quotes, likes, and bookmarks.
VERIFICATION
News reports revealed that on March 18, 2025, Libyan authorities deported a large group of Nigerian women and children in a single operation. Sources from the International Organisation for Migration, IOM, confirmed that the deported group included 160 women and 17 children. The women were held at a Tripoli detention centre, then transferred by bus to Mitiga International Airport and flown back to Nigeria. The operation was conducted under a UN-affiliated voluntary return scheme for irregular migrants, with support from the IOM and Nigerian consular services.
This deportation is not a one-time incident. Between January and June 2025, over 1,000 Nigerians were deported from Libya, most of them women and children, many in poor health. A February 2026 joint report by UN human rights agencies described the situation for migrants in Libya as harsh and routine, involving exploitation, arbitrary detention, trafficking, torture, and sexual violence. The report warned that these abuses have become widespread and called for urgent international action.
Further search revealed no report or mention of South Africa in the latest deportation news of Nigerians from Libya. There is no statement from any South African government, Nigerian government response, and no international news report placing South Africa as the destination of this flight.
CONCLUSION
The claim that Libya deported over 150 Nigerian women to South Africa is FALSE. A total of 177 individuals, mostly women, were deported from Libya, but it is untrue that they were sent to South Africa. Rather, the women were repatriated to Nigeria under a UN-supported programme.
