253 Nigerians Returns Home From Libya

At least 253 Nigerians voluntarily returned from Libya on Tuesday aboard a chartered Airbus A330-200 with registration 5A-LAT operated by Libya Airlines.

NAN reports that the aircraft landed about 6.45pm at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

It is understood that the returnees were made up of of 102 males, 140 females, six children and five infants.

They were brought back by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Nigerian embassy in Libya.

The returnees were received at the Hajj Camp area of the airport by officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the National Agency for the Protection of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Police.

Also on ground to receive them were officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

Speaking to reporters, Dr Onimode Bandele, Director, Search and Rescue, NEMA, said two of the returnees had medical issues.

According to him, one of them was suffering from depression, while the other had severe burns requiring surgical operation.

He said :”Let’s thank God that these ones have returned safely because Libya is not what it used to be.
“As a government, our advice is that young Nigerians should strive to work hard and tap into vast opportunities available in the country instead of seeking greener pastures elsewhere.”

He further stated that some state governments had initiated various programmes to rehabilitate and reintegrate the returnees back into the society