241 Stranded Nigerians Deported From Libya

Ibrahim Farinloye, NEMA’s spokesperson, said the 241 Nigerians were repatriated on Tuesday from Libya and landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport at about 3:41pm.

The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has disclosed that at least, 241 Nigerians have been repatriated from Libya.

“The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) facilitated the repatriation of the 241 returnees from Libya today. The breakdown indicates that 67 female and 174 male were repatriated,” he said.

“NEMA received the returnees at rhe MMI Airport, Lagos and gave refreshment and facilitated their transportation to their respective states of origins or their places of destinations with transport fares.

“The returnees are some of the stranded Nigerians trying to look for green pasture in foreign land through Libya.

e Libyan government, in conjunction with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Nigerian embassy in Libya, deported 241 Nigerians who were stranded in the North African country on Tuesday.

Some of the deportees had attempted to cross from Libya to Europe, but they could not accomplish their mission for various reasons.

The aircraft carrying the returnees touched down at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos at 5:45 PM.

No fewer than three of the returnees came back into Nigeria with health issues and were stretched out of the aircraft into a waiting ambulance with stretchers.

The returnees had entered Libya through different means. While some were happy to return to Nigeria, others wore somber looks.

After going through immigration processes at the airport, they were driven to the cargo terminal of the airport for further processing.

Speaking with journalists at MMIA, the head of the IOM's Lagos office, Nahashon Thuo, said that 241 returnees were brought back from Libya on their own volition.

Mr Thuo explained that some of the returnees had attempted to cross to Europe from the Northern African country, but failed to achieve their aims, stressing that most of them were arrested by the Libyan immigration service.

He further stated that they were brought by the IOM when they signaled their intention to return home.

One of the returnees, who was assisted into a NEMA ambulance, told journalists that he was shot in Libya by the man he was working for, adding that it was good he came back. 

The returnees on alighting from the Libyan Airlines were directed into a waiting coastal bus that conveyed them to where documentation would take place.

Other agencies on hand to receive the returnees include Nigeria Immigration Service, Port Health from the Federal Ministry of Health, and the National Agency Against Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIPs).