The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) has warned against the dangers posed by the irregular migration of Nigerian students.

The NCFRMI and the Civil Society Organizations Network on Migration and Development (CSOnetMADE) in collaboration with Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka expressed this concern at the end of a one-day sensitization workshop on the ‘Dangers of Irregular Migration’, warning students to put an end to the trending habit.

Participants at the workshop also agreed on the need to encourage educational institutions in the country to step up sensitization campaigns to educate students on the dangers of irregular migration.

In her speech, the Federal Commissioner of NCFRMI, Hajiya Sadiya Umar-Farouq said youths involved in irregular migration usually pass through educational institutions but do not understand the dangers due to lack of awareness.

She said: “About 36, 000 Nigerians representing a total of 171, 299 immigrants arrived Europe by sea in 2016. In the same year, the number of Nigerian women trafficked mostly for sex work into Europe doubled from 5, 600 in 2016 to 11,009.

“In January 11, 2018, 200 Nigerians were drowned in the Mediterranean Sea, adding to the alarming toll of last year.”

Describing the ugly trend as gruesome and worrisome, Umar-Farouq said migration has been a part of the history of human civilization, advising that it must however be done carefully and legally to avoid the dangers associated with it.