Meet Ability
Ability (Nigeria) three days after his rescue. Lampedusa, Italy. 10 May 2017. ©Pamela Kerpius/Migrants of the Mediterranean
by:
Pamela Kerpius
Recorded:
10 May 2017
Published:
May 2017
Revised:
1/10/25
Meet Ability.
17 years old and from Benin City, Nigeria.
To reach Lampedusa he crossed three countries: Nigeria, Niger, and the most dangerous of all, Libya.
His journey took about two months.
When he reached Agadez, Niger, after four days he then crossed the Sahara desert. He was transferred among various cars across a three-day period into Libya. He had water to drink, but it was not enough. You just be patient, he said, if your water supply runs out.
He reached Libya and stayed in a connection house run by traffickers. He was hidden inside among other people in the migrant community, none of whom had food, unless they arrived with extra money to purchase it from smugglers. Ability stayed at the house for one week.
He was transferred directly to the coastal camp of Sabratha, which was not safe. There was little food and only occasionally bottled water to drink. Tap water was available, but that was salty and unclean.
Ability crossed the Mediterranean Sea in a rubber dinghy at 11:00 p.m. with 100 people, and landed in Lampedusa on 7 May 2017.
Ability is an amazing human being.