The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Wednesday said it had received another batch of 121 stranded Nigerians from Libya, making a total of 2,638 Nigerians repatriated since February.
The Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, Mr. Suleiman Yakubu, received the new batch of evacuees on behalf of the Federal Government, enjoining them to learn from their unpleasant experiences while in Libya.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NEMA had on August 29 received another batch of 139 returnees, brought back from Libya by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
Yakubu said the aircraft that transported them arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) at 5:30p.m on Wednesday aboard a chartered Airbus SA320 Nouvelair Flight with Registration number TS-INA.
According to a statement signed by Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, the South-West spokesman of NEMA, Yakubu said that the agency received the 121 returnees from the officials of IOM.
The zonal coordinator explained that on arrival, the profiling of the returnees indicated that there were 60 female adults, one girl, while male adults were 57 with two male children and a male infant.
“The total returnees are 61 females and 60 males amongst them are two pregnant women and one with medical issues.
“One of the returnees, Ms Omolara Owoade, who hails from Apomu in Osun, claimed that she spent one year and two months in Libya.
“Owoade worked as a cleaner in a hospital and when it was time for her to collect her salary, she was accused of stealing and taken to prison from where the IOM came to her rescue.
“She said N662, 000 was collected from her by a trafficker and vowed that she would get her money back from her trafficker once she returns to Nigeria.
“Owoade also narrated to NEMA, on her arrival, that many Nigerians are suffering the same fate,” Yakubu said.
He also explained how Ms Iyabo Abiola from Oyo State narrated how she fell victim to the deceitful talks of the traffickers, who deceived her with a promise of 4,000 dollars per month.
Yakubu said that Abiola vowed to expose the traffickers, usually called burger, to NAPTIP.
The NEMA zonal coordinator said that the deportees were also received by officers from the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the Police and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.
