A Libyan Airline aircraft with registration number 5A-LAT on Monday arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos with 154 Nigerians who had been stranded in Libya.
The spokesperson of the Lagos Airport Police Command, DSP Joseph Alabi, confirmed the return of the Nigerians to newsmen in Lagos.
Alabi said the returnees, comprising 58 male and 96 female, returned voluntarily to the country at about 4.00pm.
Alabi said: “One of them was seriously sick on arrival.
“His name is Tony Isaac.
“The officials of the National Emergency Management Agency quickly rushed him to their hospital for treatment.
The returnees were brought back by the International Organisation for Migration in collaboration with the Nigerian Embassy in Libya.“Their return was voluntary and I don’t think any of them has committed any crime over there to warrant prosecution.”
Their details were taken by officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters and the Police.
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Nigerian Police Force, the Air Force and the IOM were on ground to receive them.
Out of the returnees were three minors, nine pregnant women, and three others with medical challenges which in total, comprised of 96 women and 58 men.
Out of the returnees were three minors, nine pregnant women, and three others with medical challenges which in total, comprised of 96 women and 58 men.
The head of IOM in Lagos, Nahashon Maina Thuo, said this was the fourth time this year that the organisation would assist Nigerians who volunteered to return home after they were stranded in Libya. Meanwhile, barely six months ago, 172 Nigerians have been repatriated from Libya, among whom were a 12-year-old boy and five women.
They were said to be on their way to Europe from Libya when they were apprehended by the Libyan government and detained.
They were repatriated with the help of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in close cooperation with the Libyan authorities and Nigeria’s embassy in Tripoli.They were also received by officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.
No fewer than 550 Nigerians have returned in batches from Libya since March when the IOM started the voluntary return programme.
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