Reports reaching the desk of Africa Daily News, New York have revealed that the fresh batch of 131 Nigerians who were repatriated from Libya as illegal migrants have arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
The stranded migrants had been received by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Tuesday.
Mr Ibrahim Farinloye who is the NEMA’s acting Coordinator of the Lagos Territorial Office has announced that the Nigerians arrived at the Cargo Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport at about 7:20 p.m.
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They were brought in a Boeing 737-800 Al Buraq Air with registration number 5A-DMG.
He said that the returnees were brought back to the country by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) through a voluntary repatriation programme.
Farinloye also said that the programme was meant for the distressed Nigerians who had left the country to seek greener pastures in various European countries but could not afford to return when their journey became frustrated.
According to him, the returnees are 31 male adults, 72 female adults, 11 boys, six girls, four female infants and seven male infants were brought back to the country. He said the IOM has so far brought 1,052 Nigerians from Libya this year.
He enjoined the returnees to turn a new leaf by looking for opportunities in the country which he said, “are enough for everyone to achieve their desired goals”.
He, however, appealed to the returnees to avoid vices that they might have been exposed to in the country of their departure.
He said that the returnees were received by NEMA, along with other sister agencies such as Immigration Service, Refugee Commission, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Police.
