FG PARTNERS IOM TO RECEIVE 180 RETURNING MIGRANTS FROM LIBYA
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By; Sunmola Ganiyat
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) have received 180 Nigerian migrants repatriated from Libya as part of ongoing efforts to address irregular migration and support vulnerable returnees.
In a statement, the IOM said the evacuation forms part of its voluntary return and reintegration programme aimed at assisting stranded Nigerians abroad.
The agency noted that the returnees were provided with health screening, psychosocial counselling and other immediate support services upon arrival, while eligible beneficiaries would receive reintegration assistance to help them rebuild their lives.
The migrants arrived at the Cargo Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, where they were formally received by officials.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, the Head of NEMA’s Lagos Operations Office, Ali Ibrahim, disclosed that more than 50 of the returnees had been held in detention facilities in Libya before their evacuation.
According to him, the group comprised 108 adult women, 45 adult men, 17 children, 12 infants and two unaccompanied minors.
Ibrahim explained that the repatriation exercise is part of an ongoing programme conducted on a regular basis, noting that, in addition to chartered flights, some returnees also arrive in Nigeria daily through commercial flights at various entry points, including Abuja.
He added that the Nigerian Immigration Service would carry out profiling and documentation of the returnees before they are enrolled in reintegration and support programmes.
The NEMA official further revealed that since the initiative began in 2017, the IOM, in collaboration with the Federal Government, has facilitated the return of more than 65,000 Nigerians from different countries.
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