The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has received 147 Nigerians who were stranded in Libya as part of the Assisted Voluntary Return, AVR, initiative, jointly implemented by the International Organisation for Migration, IOM, and the Federal Government of Nigeria.
In a statement posted on Wednesday via X, NEMA said the returnees arrived at the Cargo Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Tuesday evening, October 21. They were conveyed aboard an Air Libya Airlines flight with registration number 5A-BAE.
The agency explained that the operation was coordinated by its Lagos Operations Office in partnership with the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, NCFRMI.
According to NEMA, the returnees comprised 100 adults (32 males and 68 females), 34 children (18 males and 16 females), and 13 infants (5 males and 8 females). Officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, were on the ground to conduct biometric registration and documentation to ensure proper identification and seamless reintegration into society.
“In line with the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring the safe, dignified, and humane return of its citizens, the returnees were provided with food, potable water, medical care, ambulance services, and counselling, alongside logistical support to facilitate their transition. The entire reception process was well-coordinated, efficient, and centred on the welfare and dignity of all returnees,” NEMA said.
The agency noted that the exercise is part of Nigeria’s continuous reintegration programme under the IOM’s AVR initiative, which supports migrants stranded abroad to voluntarily return home safely.
The IOM, in its 2024 Annual Report, disclosed that a total of 4,760 stranded Nigerians had been repatriated under the Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration, AVRR, scheme this year. The figure included 2,435 men and 2,324 women, many of whom experienced economic hardship, social stigma, and psychological distress.
The report identified the main transit and host countries as Libya (1,631), Niger (1,088), Chad (523), Mali (338), and Côte d’Ivoire (263), with 1,101 of the returnees confirmed as victims of trafficking, mostly from Edo, Delta, Ogun, Imo, and Lagos states.
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