Agency receives 137 stranded Nigerians Evacuated from Libya
By Mnena Iyorkegh, Abuja
The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has received another batch of 137 stranded Nigerians from Libya.
NEMA confirmed this in a statement on Tuesday in Lagos.
The Agency said the returnees arrived at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Cargo Wing, Ikeja, onboard Al Buraq Air Boeing 737-800 at 5.15p.m (Nigerian time) on Monday.
The returnees, NEMA said included; ”80 males, 52 females and three infants.”
The Director-General, NEMA, Mr Mustapha Ahmed who officially received the returnees on behalf of the Nigerian Government, advised them to learn from their experiences and be law-abiding citizens.
The International Organisation for Migration, IOM had in collaboration with the Nigerian Mission in Tripoli evacuated 137 stranded Nigerians, who were irregular migrants, from Libya.
The Chargé D’affaires en titre of the Nigerian Mission to Libya, Ambassador Kabiru Musa said that the evacuation exercise was part of the Nigerian Government citizen’s diplomacy drive.
He said; “This will continue to ensure safe returns of vulnerable Nigerians outside the shores of the country. The IOM under its Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) programme in collaboration with the Nigerian Embassy in Tripoli successfully carried out an orderly, safe and dignified return of 137 stranded Nigerians. This is part of efforts to assist Nigerians in difficult circumstances to return home and reunite with their families.”
He explained that the returnees were irregular migrants and most victims of human trafficking. As a result of Libya’s strategic location on the Mediterranean coast, it has continued to be a transit point and destination for human trafficking.
Musa said; “While measures are in place to fight the criminal gangs that indulge in the illicit trade in human beings, rescue efforts and the repatriation exercise will be ongoing as part of the mission’s consular responsibilities to Nigerian citizens. So far, nearly 3,000 Nigerians were returned to Nigeria from Libya between January and October through the IOM’s voluntary humanitarian return programme,”
He added that arrangements had been made with relevant Nigerian Government agencies and International organisations to ensure the rehabilitation and reintegration of the returnees upon arrival to the country.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
