By Adeboye Philip
At least 122 stranded Nigerians, including 52 men, 39 women (seven of whom are rescued victims of human trafficking), 21 children, and 10 infants, have been evacuated from Libya.
This evacuation brings the total number of Nigerians assisted in returning from Libya in 2024 to 1,350.
In 2023, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) helped 2,041 stranded Nigerian migrants return home.
The evacuees are scheduled to depart Mitiga International Airport in Libya at around 1:30 PM local time on a chartered flight and are expected to arrive at Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos by 5:00 PM.
According to official sources, Tuesday’s evacuation, carried out in collaboration with the IOM as part of its Voluntary Humanitarian Repatriation (VHR) programme, was the ninth operation conducted by the Nigerian Mission in Libya this year.
During the evacuation in Tripoli, Nigeria’s newly-posted Charge d’Affaires to Libya, Mohammed Mohammed, advised Nigerians to avoid irregular migration to foreign countries.
Mohammed warned that such journeys often result in slavery and sexual exploitation in Europe.
He emphasized that while legally sanctioned migrations are acceptable, Nigerians should carefully consider the risks before embarking on perilous journeys across the desert.
