162 Nigerians deported from Libya

One hundred and sixty two Nigerians stranded in the North African country- Libya were on Wednesday deported.

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They were returned home under an assistance programme facilitated by the International Organization of Migration (IOM) and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

The returnees comprising 100 females; including four pregnant women and 62 males arrived the cargo section of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos in the early hours aboard Libyan Airlines.

Receiving the returnees, NEMA’s Coordinator, Lagos Territorial Office, Idris Muhammed said the profiling of the returnees shows they were 82 adult females; 13 female children and five female infants.

He said there were 50 adult males, four male children; 13 male infants with two mionrs with medical case.

The Coordinator while welcoming the Returnees urged them to be agents of positive change and take up the challenge against irregular migrations by telling whoever wants to embark on such dangerous journeys to desist from it.

“Migration is protected by International and national statutes for movement of people through proper regularisation of papers that would protect and save you against risks of irregular migrations.”

Muhammed stated that NEMA hosted a team from European Union on monitoring and evaluation of the special EU intervention on assisted voluntary return of migrants.

NEMA interfaced with them on the ways of improving the present European Assisted Voluntary Returnees projects being run by IOM.

He said gaps were identified especially on logistics which are causing nightmares to stakeholders and the Returnees but on the whole the rescheduling of aircraft charter flights would be improved upon.

The exercise which began in April, 2017 is expected to end by April, 2020 and about 8,808 Returnees have so far been repatriated back home to Nigeria from North Africa.