Gom Mirian
After enduring months of hardship, 298 Nigerians who were stranded in Libyan prisons have finally returned home.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) confirmed the information in a statement released on Tuesday.
The batch of Nigerian returnees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos aboard an Al Buraq Air Boeing 737-800 with registration number 5A-DMG on Monday. They were welcomed by officials of NEMA and the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS).
According to NEMA, the returnees spent varying periods at various detention camps in the northern African country. They were repatriated in two chartered flights; the first with 161 returnees on August 21, and the second on August 28 with 137 returnees.
“The returnees comprised 119 mostly pregnant females and 170 males with three female children, three male children and three infants.
“The International Organisation of Migration (IOM), Port Health Service, and National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRM) also received the returnees.”
NEMA reiterated its commitment to helping Nigerians in distress overseas and urged citizens to avoid travelling through irregular channels. It advised Nigerians to pursue safe means to migrate and reminded them that travelling through the Sahara and the Mediterranean is highly risky.
