No fewer than 162 Nigerians were on Thursday, June 16th voluntary returned from Libya to Nigeria.
The 162 voluntary returnees came back aboard a Ghadames Air aircraft Airbus 320 aircraft with registration number 5A-WAT at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos.
They were brought back by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in collaboration with Nigeria Embassy in Libya around 2.50pm.
They returnees who were stranded in the war torn country Libya comprises of 132 males, 27 females and three children.
It was observed that three of the voluntary returnees have health challenges.
At the airport to attend to the returnees officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA),the Police, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria(FAAN) and National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters (NATIP).
Some of the returnees looked tired and dishevelled with the men wearing the same colour of track suits and the same brand of canvass while some of the women dressed in black flowing gowns and various shades of hijab.
At the airport, three of the returnees were ill while two were brought in a stretcher and ferried into a waiting ambulance provided by NEMA.
One of them had burns all over his body and was writhing around on the stretcher in pains.
Speaking at the airport, the IOM’s operations assistant, Mr. Juma Ben Hassan stated that one of the men had a motor accident while the one that who had burns stayed in a house that was gutted by fire.
He disclosed that all the six occupants except the Nigerian died, adding that the man who was first hospitalized in Libya later requested to return to the country.
According to Hassan, this was the second time IOM would be assisting Nigerians to return home.
He disclosed further that in a few months’ time, another batch of returnees would be brought back.
Meanwhile, the returnees have been taken by NEMA officials for profiling before sending them to their respective states.
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