The Federal Government has welcomed 180 Nigerians who were stranded in Libya, following a collaborative effort between the Nigerian Mission in Tripoli and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to facilitate their return.
The returnees arrived on Wednesday night at the cargo terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
They included 76 men, 92 women, eight children, and four infants.
The Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Tijani Ahmed, assured that in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the returnees would be integrated into various government initiatives, as well as the reintegration programmes provided by the UN Migration Agency, IOM.
Ahmed, represented by the Southwest Zonal Coordinator, Mr. Alexander Oturu, stated that the migrants were transported to the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) camp, where NCFRMI and IOM have a partnership to offer temporary shelter.
They will also receive onward transportation assistance to help them reach their final destinations.
The Edo State Migration Agency, led by its Director General, Hon. Lucky Agazuma, was also present to facilitate the free transportation of Edo State indigenes to Benin City.
Upon arrival, officers from the NCFRMI and the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) carried out profiling of the returnees, while representatives from several agencies, including Port Health, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Federal Ministry of Labour’s Migrant Resource Centre, LASEMA, Child Protection Network, and Web of Hearts Foundation, were on hand to provide support.
