13, 884 Nigerians so far deported from Libya as 168 more join on Friday

Another batch of 168 Nigerians have been deported from Libya, after hundreds have been flown back home in the past years.

So far, returnees from Libya in the last few years are about 13, 884 made up of 8,096 males and 5,788 females.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), which received them on Friday at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Cargo Wing, said the distressed and stranded Nigerians were among the voluntary returnees.

Persecondnews reports that they were assisted back to Nigeria by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), with the support of European Union (EU) as a special intervention.

Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, the Acting Coordinator of NEMA, Lagos Territorial Office, received the returnees on behalf of the Director-General of NEMA, Engr. Mustapha Maihajja, who came in aboard Al Buraq airline about 5. 42 am.

The returnees comprise 38 adult females, five female children, 109 adult males, six male children and 10 infants.

He disclosed that about 15,731 Nigerians from 16 countries have since April 2017 till date been brought back home with Libya having the highest figure.

“Libya has the highest number of returnees with males number comprising 8,096 and female 5, 788; Niger Republic 1,043 males and 556 females; Morocco males 42, female 37; Liberia males eight and females four.

“Burkina Faso males six and females 18; France males three and females one while Ireland had only one female but countries like Poland, Austria, Gambia, Mauritania, Ethiopia had one male each assisted back Chad had one male and two females and Cote D’ivoire had only two females brought back within the periods.

“Estimated adults males formed 54 per cent and 37 per cent are for females while male and female minors are four per cent each,’’ Farinloye said.

On distressed migrants ferried back to Nigeria, he disclosed that Edo State topped the list with 40.6 per cent, Delta 13.3 per cent, Ogun 6.2 per cent, Imo 4.7 per cent and Lagos 4.3 per cent.

Oyo 4.1 per cent, Yobe 3.6 per cent, Kano 3.1 per cent and Osun 2.9 per cent while other states accounted for the rest.

According to the NEMA official, those who suffered various degrees of torture 31males and 21 females.

He said:“Unaccompanied minors that were assisted back in males were 66 and females were 67; those who were kidnapped out of Nigeria but assisted back in males were 79 and females were 31; single parents males 41 and females are 616.

“Total number of pregnant women brought back so far are 439 while those with various medical issues males 592 and females 804 and migrants assisted back with psycho-social needs are males 523 and females 470 as the summary of the special intervention exercise.”