No
fewer than 140 Nigerians, who were deported from Libya, arrived in the country
on Tuesday through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
It was learnt that the
deportees, who arrived on board a Libyan Airline, were received by the
Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency, Sani Sidi, who
was represented by the South-West Coordinator of the agency, Dr. Onimode
Bamdele.
It
was learnt that while many of the deportees left for their various
destinations, others left in two chattered BRT buses for the Synagogue Church
of All Nations.
Three
of the deportees, who had medical issues, were said to have been taken to a
hospital, where they were admitted for treatment.
It
was gathered that most of the deportees had been in detention in various Libyan
prisons before they were released after the intervention of the International
Organisation for Migration and the Nigerian embassy in Libya.
The
spokesperson for NEMA, South-West zone, Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the
development.
“A
total of 140 Nigerians were deported. While some of them were from the villages
and hinterland, a lot of them were imprisoned. But they all had the desire to
return home due to the ugly experiences they had.
“Their
deportation was facilitated by the International Organisation for Migration and
the Nigerian embassy in Libya. They took off from Libya around 12.30pm Nigerian
time and arrived at 4.30pm. Of the 140 deportees, 74 were male adults, while 52
were female adults. We also had six unaccompanied underage, consisting five
females and one male. There were four infants among the deportees. Three of the
deportees had medical issues and had to be taken to the hospital.
“Most
of them dispersed to their various states — Benue, Edo, Anambra, Enugu — while
we got six accommodated in hotels. Many of them left in two BRT buses for the
Synagogue Church of All Nations.”
Farinloye
said the deportees regretted their decision to travel abroad, adding that they
had sad tales to tell.
He
said the NEMA DG challenged them to stay in Nigeria and contribute to the
development of the country.
He
said, “They said what they passed through was what they would never wish for
their enemies. The DG told them that even Libya that they went to believe there
is no place like Nigeria because Nigeria has the most liberal policies for
foreigners. He told them to stay back in Nigeria and help in developing the
country and we will soon overcome our challenges.”
Source: Punch
Tags
Society