158 Nigerian Irregulars Repatriated to Libya, Envoy Says

 

 

A total of 158 Nigerian irregular migrants have been repatriated from Libya, the Charge d’Affaires of the Nigerian Mission in Tripoli, Libya, Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed, announced.

The envoy, in a statement released to journalists on Wednesday, revealed that the repatriation operation was conducted by the Mission in collaboration with the Libyan authorities and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) under the organization’s Voluntary Humanitarian Repatriation (VHR) program.

The statement further said that the evacuees departed from Mitiga International Airport in Tripoli aboard charter flight No. UZ 189 at 15:00 local time and arrived at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos at 18:00.

According to Mohammed, the group of displaced persons consisted of seventy-seven (77) men, forty-five (45) women, 26 children and 10 infants.

Regarding the reasons for this latest repatriation of these Nigerians, the Nigerian embassy said that they were repatriated due to lack of proper documentation and allegations of various criminal activities, among other things.

The embassy said that, of the total number, 26 men arrested in the ongoing raid on illegal aliens in Libya have been released from the Abu-Salim detention center in Tripoli.

The Mission further reported that upon arrival in Nigeria, the displaced persons were received by relevant government agencies, including NAPTIP, Nigerian Immigration Service, Airport Security and NDLEA. It is expected that these displaced persons will undergo rehabilitation and reintegration processes before being released into society.

According to Mohammed, in 2024, approximately 1,776 stranded Nigerians were repatriated safely.

The Nigerian envoy, while urging citizens to avoid irregular migration, praised the collaborative efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Libyan authorities and IOM for helping so many displaced people who urgently wanted to return home but lacked the means to do so.

He said: “This is the twelfth evacuation exercise conducted by the Nigerian Mission in Libya this year.

“The current exercise follows the repatriation of one hundred and forty-two (142) irregular Nigerian migrants from Sabha, Libya on 9 July.

“While some of them were rescued in the Mediterranean Sea by the Libyan Coast Guard, others were arrested on charges of prostitution, illegal entry, overstaying and lack of proper documentation, just as others voluntarily presented themselves to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Libya for repatriation.

“You know, there have been increasingly frequent and coordinated incursions of illegal migrants into Libya’s cities recently and these are likely to continue as Libyan authorities consider the influx of illegal migrants into the country a matter of national security and have vowed to use all legal means to stop the threat.

“Nigerians living in Libya, by many indications, already have a damaged reputation due to the alleged nefarious activities of some criminal elements among them. Some have been accused of committing crimes such as kidnapping for ransom, drug dealing, prostitution, selling alcohol, as well as cultism and human trafficking with their Libyan collaborators, among others.

“It is therefore as a consequence of the above that arrests and deportations of Nigerians may continue in the coming weeks and months,” the Nigerian envoy said.

Concerned about the challenges posed by illegal immigration, Libyan authorities recently hosted the Trans-Mediterranean Migration Forum in Tripoli on 17 July 2024, which brought together countries of origin, transit and destination to discuss solutions to irregular migration.

Voluntary Humanitarian Repatriation is a program of the International Organization for Migration that ensures safe, dignified and rapid return for voluntary migrants. The Federal Government, through its ongoing partnerships with this organization, has ensured that many Nigerian irregular migrants return home from time to time.

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