258 More Nigerians Return From Libya

African Immigrants Waiting to be Deported

No fewer than 258 more Nigerian returnees from Libya arrived in Lagos on Thursday aboard a chartered Airbus A330-200 with registration mark 5A-LAT operated by Libya Airlines.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the aircraft landed about 9:43pm at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

The 258 voluntary returnees, who include four children and one infant. were made up of of 233 males, 25 females..

Their return was facilitated by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Nigerian embassy in Libya.

They 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.

Addressing newsmen, Ms Julie Okah-Donli, the newly appointed Director-General of NAPTIP, said the agency was particularly interested in those that were trafficked.

“After the profiling have been done, for those that have been trafficked, we will take them away to our shelters,” she said.

According to her, the agency is working with the international community to clamp down on the trafficking syndicate.

“They are doing their investigation and very soon we will be able to come out with effective results,” she said.

Also, Dr Onimode Bandele, Director, Search and Rescue, NEMA, said some of the returnees had medical issues.

He said some of them were suffering from depression and malnutrition, while one person sustained gun injury.

NEMA had alerted on Wednesday that 250 Nigerians would voluntarily return to the country from Libya on Thursday.

NEMA’s spokesman for South-West Zone, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the returnees were expected to arrive at the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO)/Hajj Camp section of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, at about 3. 00 p.m.

More than 253 Nigerians had on April 25 voluntarily returned from Libya aboard a chartered Libya Airlines — Airbus A330-200 — with registration no. 5A-LAT.

The returnees comprise 102 males, 140 females and 11 children.

NAN