BY OSABUOHIEN VIVIAN ROSE
About 148 Nigerian migrants, including women and children, have been repatriated from Libya with the support of the Libyan Directorate for Combating Illegal Migration (DCIM), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and the Nigerian consulate.
The migrants were flown back to Lagos State via a Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) flight from Mitiga International Airport in Tripoli.
The development, according to Migrant Rescue Watch, stated on Wednesday, said that the group comprised 13 men, 124 women, and 8 children.
The repatriation is part of ongoing efforts to assist stranded migrants in Libya, many of whom face harsh conditions, exploitation, and detention.
Meanwhile, over the years, Libya has been a major transit point for migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean sea into Europe, often risking their lives in perilous journeys.
Confirming the development in a statement on Wednesday via its X handle, officials of the National Emergency Management Agency of Nigeria, Lagos Territorial Office, along with other stakeholders, received another batch of 148 Nigerian returnees from Libya on Tuesday.
NEMA stated that the returnees arrived at Murtala Muhammed International Airport Cargo at 17.35hours aboard a Boeing chartered flight with registration no. 5A-BAA.
The statement read, “The profile of Returnees shows 124 adult females, 13 adult males, 5 children and 3 infants.
“After the mandatory profiling and biometric exercise, the Returnees were moved to for further reintegration programmes spearheaded by IOM,” the statement added.
They were offered necessary assistance by IOM with the support of NEMA, NCFRMI, Nigeria Immigration Service, DSS, Port Health and Nigeria Police Force..
