162 Nigerians, 4 pregnant women, return from Libya

In a new fresh batch of 162 Nigerian returnees from Libya to Nigeria with the support of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), four women among them came back with pregnancy.

National; Daily gathered that The Coordinator, Lagos Zonal Office of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Idris Muhammed, confirmed the return of the 162 illegal migrant Nigerians from Libya among who were the four pregnant women in Lagos.

Muhammed had noted that the illegal migrants who departed the shores of Nigeria but got trapped in Libya, arrived at the Cargo Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, at 3.30a.m on board a chartered Libyan Airlines. He narrated that the returnees comprised of 100 females, including four pregnant women and 62 males.

The NEMA Zonal Coordinator, receiving the returnees, encouraged them to be agents of positive change by joining the campaign against irregular migration.

“Migration is protected by International and national statutes for movement of people through proper regularisation of papers that will protect and save you against risks of irregular migrations,” Muhammed had told the returnees.

The Zonal Coordinator acknowledged that NEMA recently hosted a team from the European Union (EU) on monitoring and evaluation of the special EU intervention on assisted voluntary return of migrants.

He stated that NEMA interacts with them on the ways of improving the present EU Assisted Voluntary Returnees programme being run by IOM. Muhammed noted that gaps were identified, especially, on logistics.

The Zonal Coordinator revealed that efforts are being made to close the gaps to make the process more effective for stakeholders and the returnees. He noted that the exercise, which began in April 2017, is expected to end by April 2020.

Muhammed disclosed that no fewer than 8,808 returnees have so far been repatriated back home to Nigeria from the volatile North African country.