174 Stranded Nigerians Return From Libya

The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA on Tuesday received 174 stranded Nigerian returnees from Libya at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos.

The Lagos Territorial Office Coordinator, NEMA, Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the development in a statement made available to journalists.

Farinloye said the stranded returnees arrived in Nigeria from Libya around 3.35 pm, adding that 23 persons among the returnees had medical cases.

The statement read, “NEMA has received a fresh batch of 174 stranded Nigerian returnees from Libya. The Director-General of NEMA, Alhaji Mustapha Ahmed, who was represented by the Lagos Territorial Office Coordinator, Ibrahim Farinloye, received the new batch on arrival.

“The returnees were brought back aboard Al Buraq Air Boeing 737-800 with registration number 5A-DMG. The Boeing landed at the Cargo Wing of the Murtala Muhammad International Airport around 3.35 pm.

“The profiles of the returnees show that 69 female adults, five female children, and 10 female infants were brought back. Also aboard the flight are 75 male adults, 12 male children, and three male infants. Among the returnees are 23 with minor medical cases.”

Farinloye said the International Organisation of Migration in collaboration with the European Union had been repatriating thousands of stranded Nigerians from various countries since 2017 through a special assisted voluntary repatriation program.

He added, “This year alone, today’s flight makes the 12th flights recorded at the Lagos end of the exercise. Altogether, about 2,044 Nigerian returnees from Libya have been assisted back to the country through Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Ikeja.”