Evacuation of Nigerians from Libya suspended ‘temporarily’

At least 1,433 Nigerians who were stranded in Libya have been evacuated between Dec. 15, 2016 and May 25, 2017, figures from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) have shown.

Daily Trust learnt that more than 8000 Nigerians are still stranded in the country with most of them languishing in detention facilities across the country.

The last set of 164 returnees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos on Thursday, last week comprising 97 males, 53 males, 11 children and three infants.

The Director-General of NEMA, Alhaji Mustapha Maihaja, who was represented by the South West Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, Sulaiman Abdullahi, said the collaborative efforts of NEMA and the International Organization of Migration (IOM) succeeded in repatriating the stranded Nigerians.

Besides, the IOM is also said to be launching a programme in June to empower those who had been assisted back home, the representative of the DG said.

An IOM source disclosed that the exercise has been suspended until June 20 to enable the IOM to divert resources to other countries.

Meanwhile some sponsors of some of the returnees are threatening the agents who lured them to Libya with a promise of getting them juicy employments, it was learnt.

One of the returnees who pleaded not to be named said she paid N450,000 to the “connection man” in Nigeria who is now on the run.

Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Person (NAPTIP), Julie Okar Donli had vowed that efforts are ongoing to track down the traffickers.