One hundred and seventy-four (174) more Nigerians who had been trapped in Libya were on Tuesday evacuated back to the country and received by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). It was gathered the Nigerians landed at the cargo wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at 3:45 p.m. on a Boeing 737-800 of Al Buraq Air with registration number 5A-DMG. Ibrahim Farinloye, Acting Coordinator of NEMA Lagos territorial office confirmed to Easterner that the returnees comprised 75 male adults, 69 female adults, 12 male and female infants, 5 children, 10 female infants and three male infants. He added that they were brought back to the country by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) through a voluntary repatriation programme. He said that 23 of the returnees had minor medical cases.
He further stated that the programme was meant for distressed Nigerians who had left the country to seek greener pastures in various European countries but could not afford to return when their journey became frustrating, NAN reports.
“This year alone, this flight was the 12th recorded in Lagos that brought returnees from Libya,” Mr Farinloye said.
He said that about 2,044 Nigerian returnees from Libya had been assisted back to the country through the Lagos airport in 2022 alone.
“We admonished the returnees on the need to realise that there’s no country better than Nigeria.
“Here, you have all the freedom to achieve your potential; looking for greener pastures in foreign lands is no longer a reality; those countries are not better off when you consider the challenges you encounter there and here,” he said.
According to Mr. Farinloye, the Federal Ministry of Health, NEMA, Immigration Service, Refugee Commission, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and Nigeria Police all received the returnees.
