126 stranded Nigerians back from Libya

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Thursday in Lagos received 126 Nigerians who had been stranded in Libya as they returned home.

The Acting Coordinator of the Lagos Territorial Office of the Agency, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the development to newsmen in Lagos.

Farinloye, who represented the Director General, Alhaji Mustapha Ahmed, said that the Nigerians were received at the Cargo Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport at about 16:22 p.m.

He said that the returnees, who arrived aboard a Boeing 700-787 Al Buraq Air with registration number 5A-DMG, were brought back to the country by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) through a voluntary repatriation programme.

Farinloye said that the programme was meant for the distressed Nigerians who had left the country to seek greener pastures in various European countries but could not afford to return when their journey became frustrated.

He said that the returnees brought back comprise 46 male adults, 62 female adults, two male and six female children, as well as four female and six male infants.

The acting coordinator urged Nigerians to be wary of close associates, family friends or neighbourhood elders who deceive with sweet talks of better life in foreign countries.

Farinloye said that many were now being deceived with promises of assistance to destinations such as Iraq, Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and Egypt, but end up in connection houses in Libya.

He enjoined the returnees to turn a new leaf in looking for ample opportunities that abound in the country, which are enough for everyone to achieve their desired goals.

”We admonish the returnees on the need to realise that there’s no country better than Nigeria.

” There are ample opportunities for all of us to thrive and live happily in virtuous and God fearing manners in Nigeria without unnecessarily exposing ourselves to undeserved dangers in foreign lands,” he said.

Farinloye encouraged the returnees to be positive ambassadors toward advocacy and sensitisation against irregular migration that leaves the youths vulnerable to all sorts of abuses and death in extreme cases.

He said that officials of sister agencies such as Immigration Service, Refugee Commission, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Police, were also on hand to receive the returnees.