Joel Ajayi
On Wednesday 19th February 2025, in a coordinated, all-of-government approach, the Federal Government facilitated the reception of 180 Nigerian migrants who were stranded in Libya.
In a statement signed on Wednesday by the National Commission for Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons Southwest Zonal Coordinator Alexander Oturu revealed that, their humanitarian return was facilitated by the Nigerian mission in Tripoli and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The reception exercise took place at the Cargo terminal of the Murtala Mohamed International Airport, in Lagos Southwest Nigeria.
Representing the Federal Commissioner of the National Commission For Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Honourable Aliyu Tijani Ahmed, the Southwest Zonal Coordinator, Mr. Alexander Oturu, stated that in line with Mr. President’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the returnees would be integrated into various government programmes, as well as the reintegration programmes of the UN Migration Agency, IOM.
The migrants were conveyed to the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, camp where the NCFRMI and IOM have a tripartite agreement to provide temporary shelter for the returnees before they are provided with onward transportation allowance to enable them get to their final destination.
According to Mr. Oturu, there were 76 males, 92 females, 8 children and 4 infants on board the IOM chartered flight from Libya.
The Edo State Migration Agency, led by the Director General, Honourable Lucky Agazuma also attended the reception with a view to conveying Edo State indigenes free of charge to Benin, the Edo State capital.
Officers from the NCFRMI and the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) profiled the migrants and officers from Port Health, FAAN, Federal Ministry of Labour (Migrants Resource Centre), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Child Protection Network and Web of Hearts Foundation were also in attendance to provide assistance.
