The National Emergency Management Agency, alongside other Federal Government agencies, have received another batch of 174 Nigerians that voluntarily returned from Libya, yesterday at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The returnees, who returned aboard a chartered Nouvelair aircraft with registration number TS-INA, are 34 males, 122 females, 10 children and 9 infants.
It was gathered that their return was facilitated by the International Organisation for Migration and the Nigerian Embassy in Libya as they were received at the Hajj Camp area of the airport by officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Person, and the Police.
At the reception organized for the returnees, Director, Search and Rescue, NEMA, Air Commodore Paul Ohemu, said that the agency in collaboration with the IOM was putting effort together to ensure Nigerians that are stranded in Libya returned home safely.
He said, “There are a lot of things you can do in Nigeria here. You don’t have to travel outside the country in search of greener pastures.
“My advice to parents is to keep tabs on their children and to ensure they know where their children are going and not to be deceived by human traffickers.”
He also stressed that NEMA and some state governments are collaborating to ensure that various schemes are in place to help rehabilitate and reintegrate the returnees into the society.
Zonal Director, NAPTIP, Lagos, Mr. Joseph Famakinwa, said the Federal Government had intensified efforts to curb human trafficking and bring traffickers to book.
“NAPTIP has sent 315 Nigerians to prison for human trafficking with a total conviction of 265. Our advice to parents is that they should not allow their children to fall into the hands of traffickers,” he said.
Meanwhile, Public Information Officer, IOM, Ms. Julia Burpee, explained that the organisation had facilitated the return of over 1,170 Nigerians from Libya since February 2017.
“We will assist the returnees to get back on their feet and also provide assistance to more of them that are willing to leave the North African country.
Some of the returnees who spoke with our correspondents appreciated the effort of the agencies that facilitated their return.
An indigene of Kogi state, Mr. Joseph Famakinwa, said “I travelled with the intention of finding greener pasture in the country, but I found out that the situation of things there was bad. It was during my efforts to get a job that I was arrested and taken to detention camp. But with the help of the IOM and others, I was able to make it back home.”
