Some Ghanaian illegal migrants travelling Libya had to force their monies into their backside (anuses) to prevent losing them to armed robbers, a Libyan returnee has disclosed to The Spectator.

A victim who gave his name only as Agbenyo said hiding moneys in their back-side was the only option, after they realised that the attackers were in the habit of searching their pockets and bags and stripping them naked, in an effort to steal their moneys.

Speaking with The Spectator about life in Libya, Agbenyo said the robbers became aware of how clever the migrants had become and therefore would detain them and insert their hands into their backsides to ensure there were no monies hidden there, before releasing them.

If unfortunately, any of the miscreants realise that money had been pushed into their backside, they forced their victims, mostly Nigerians, Liberians and Ghanaians, to take a laxative to induce it and collected the money eventually.

Agbenyo, 36, currently a cobbler and one of the persons brought back home by the government early last year when the uprising began in Libya also recounted how persons who resisted the actions of the robbers were beaten up mercilessly and even threatened with death to serve as a deterrent for others.

He also recalled how some of the energetic young men and women he began the journey with died on the way, due to hunger and thirst and were buried like animals.

Agbenyo who said he was once a successful tomato farmer who said he was compelled to travel to Libya as a result of the return of some extravagant young men from Nkoranza who claimed they had made it there. He also revealed that on the desert, when people die, they either dug a hole with their hands to bury them or pretended nothing had happened and left them behind for the dust to cover them up.

The Cobbler said they had to walk for months because the vehicle they had boarded at Nkoranza to take them to the Drugu Barrier at a cost of GH¢600 each, broke down along the way.

And another one they hired to carry them from the barrier to the desert and thence to Libya also broke down, but because they were determined to acquire what they thought would be a better life, they were not perturbed and decided to continue, on foot.

Agbenyo disclosed that it was very common for the drivers of the vehicles to claim they had developed a fault after carrying them for a few days or hours, without refunding their monies to them. He said it was at this point that some three Nigerian, Algerian and Liberian women died of tiredness, hunger and thirst.

Another returnee who spoke on condition of anonymity explained that on the dessert, they only carried small water bottles, to avoid excess weight and as they walked, they sipped just a little of the water as the situation was such that if they drank much, they would run short of it.