Gom Mirian
In a bid to tackle the growing issue of irregular migration, the Libyan government has repatriated a total of 161 Nigerian migrants back to their home countries.
The development was disclosed in a statement signed by the Interior Minister of the UN-recognised administration, Imed Trabelsi, on Tuesday.
He stated that out of the 161 repatriated, 102 were intercepted at the border while attempting to cross between Libya and Tunisia.
Trabelsi said: “We cannot bear the burden of clandestine migration alone without international support.”
Nigerian migrants returned “willingly” Nigerian embassy adviser in Libya Samuel Okeri said the group of 161 was “not forced back” home.
“We spoke to (them) and explained that migration is not bad but you have to follow due process,” said Okeri. “They are going back willingly. And as you can see, they are not sad but happy to go back to Nigeria. There is no place like home.
“The migrants would be conveyed to the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, the camp where the NCFRMI and IOM have a tripartite agreement to provide temporary shelter for the returnees before they are provided with onward transportation allowance to enable them to get to their final destination,” he added.
