By Ebi Kesiena
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has stated that 298 Nigerians who were stranded in Libya in the North Africa region, have been repatriated by the Federal Government.
These returnees were arrested while trying to cross over to Europe via the Mediterranean Sea.
According to the authorities, the repatriated persons were conveyed back into the country in separate chartered flights.
The first batch of 161 returnees who are mainly women arrived at the Muritala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos late Monday as many of the stranded Nigerians were said to have spent various prison terms in Libya.
The profile of the returnees indicated that there were 119 female adults mostly pregnant, three female children, and two female infants, while the male returnees comprised 170 adults, three children, and one infant.
Their return was facilitated by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations (UN) under their Migrants’ Protection and Assistance Programme.
The returnees who arrived were brought back aboard an Al Buraq Air Boeing 737-800 with registration number 5A-DMG which touched down at the Cargo Wing of the Murtala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja.
After their arrest, they all spent their days in detention Libya before they were evacuated back to Nigeria.
