TheCable

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says it received 162 Nigerian returnees from Libya through Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

Ibrahim Farinloye, acting coordinator of the Lagos territorial office of NEMA, disclosed this to NAN on Wednesday.

Farinloye said the returnees were stranded in Libya and were not able to afford returning home.

He said they departed Mitiga International Airport, Tripoli, aboard a chartered Buraq Aircraft at 10pm local time and arrived at the international airport in Lagos, on Wednesday.

“The returnees were brought back to the country by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) through voluntary repatriation programme for the distressed persons,” he said.

“They had left the country to seek for greener pasture in various European countries but could not afford to return when their journey became frustrated.

“The International Organisation for Migration since 2017 had assisted to bring about 21,000 distressed Nigerians back to the country.”

According to Farinloye, the returnees were 98 adult females, 28 adult males, 19 female children and five male children, nine female infants and three male infants.

He added said five of the returnees had various health related issues.

He said the port health unit of the federal of ministry of health, National Commission for Resilience, Migration and IDPs and the Nigerian Immigration Service were part of the government agencies that received the returnees at the airport.