Yemisi Izuora/Hyacinth Chinweuba
About 155 Nigerians have arrived Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, from Libya after unsuccessful attempts to cross over to Europe.
The returnees, who were largely in their 20s and 30s, were picked from different prisons and detention camps in the country.
According to the Nigerian Immigration Services, their release was negotiated by International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
About two weeks ago a total of 171 were deported from Libya on March 7; another 171 on February 21, while 161 voluntarily returned with the assistance of IOM on February 14 this year.
The return of the latest batch of Nigerians was the fourth this year and ninth of such returns in the last 15 months in which a total of 1,521 persons have been repatriated.
Deputy Director, Search and Rescue, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Dr. Bandele Onimode, said among the returnees were three medical cases.
One of the returnees had paralysis, the other psychiatric case, while the last was a minor ailment. All were being catered for by a team of IOM and Port Authority’s doctors shortly after arrival.
Onimode said that the returnees all voluntarily chose to return to Nigeria after they were rescued from harsh and inhuman conditions in Libya.
He added that it was NEMA’s duty to receive them on behalf of the federal government, and connect the returnees with various state governments for proper integration.
Public Information Officer of IOM, Julia Burpee, said theirs were cases of people stranded in Libya and unable to proceed as economic migrants to Europe, adding that about 7000 Nigerians have been repatriated since 2001.