Nigerian migrants boarding a plane in Libya. (Photo: Archive – IOM)
174 Nigerians were on Thursday night repatriated from Libya to their country, IOM reported.
The illegal immigrants were received at the cargo wing of the Lagos International Airport by officials of National Emergency Management Agency.
The Coordinator, of NEMA’s Lagos Territorial Office, Mallam Idris Muhammed noted that with this batch, the total number of stranded Nigerians deported from Libya is now 12,574. In addition, Muhammed said over 4,900 of the deportees have been trained on various skill acquisition and empowerment training by International Organization for Migration, IOM through Special Funding facilitated by the European Union.
He said most of them have set up various businesses in their choice of occupation. He explained that Thursday’s flight was the 64 flights since the Programme of Assisted Voluntary Returnees initiated by European Union but being implemented by IOM started in April, 2017.
The repatriated migrants were brought back aboard Al Buraq Airline in Boeing 737-800 aircraft with flight number UZ 389-390 and registration number 5A-DMG from Sebha City and arrived Cargo Wing of MMIA, Ikeja, Nigeria about 9:45 p.m.
They includes 62 adult females, 11 female children and 11 female infants, bringing the total number of females to 84 f while the males comprise 74 male adults, 12 male children and 15 male infants making it a total of 90 males.
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