Lagos welcomes 164 Nigerian returnees from Libya

By Sodiq Adelakun

The Lagos Territorial Office of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has received a new batch of 164 vulnerable Nigerians who returned voluntarily from Libya.

The returnees arrived at Murtala International Airport Cargo on Tuesday at 6:00 pm, aboard a Boeing charter flight Al Buraq airline with registration number 5A: DMG.

According to NEMA in a post on Wednesday, the returnees were evacuated with the support of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and received necessary assistance, including profiling and biometric exercises, with support from various stakeholders.

This effort is a continuation of the voluntary evacuation of Nigerian returnees from Libya, and NEMA is working with stakeholders to ensure their safe return and reintegration.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State government has pledged to provide necessary support to ensure the well-being of the returnees..

The post read: “In continuation of the voluntary evacuation of Nigerian returnees from Libya, the NEMA Lagos Territorial Office along with other stakeholders received another batch of 164 returnees.

“The returnees arrived at Murtala International Airport Cargo today (Tuesday) 25th June 2024 at about 1800 hours aboard a Boeing charter flight Al Buraq airline with registration no 5A: DMG.

“The returnees comprised 120 adult females, four female children, two female infants, and 38 adult males.”

NEMA stated that the returnees were offered necessary assistance by IOM with the support of NEMA, National Commission for Refugee and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Department of State Services (DSS), Port Health, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), and Nigeria Police Force.

It stated that after the necessary profiling and biometric exercise, the returnees are expected to be given skilled training as part of the reintegration assistance offered by IOM.