FG evacuates another 138 Nigerian irregular migrants from Libya

The Federal Government has evacuated another batch of 138 Nigerian irregular migrants stranded in Libya.

The Chargé D’Affaires En Titre of the Nigerian Mission in Libya, Amb. Kabiru Musa, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja.

Musa said the evacuees left the Mitiga International Airport aboard chartered flight UZ 189 on Tuesday afternoon and would arrive at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the same day.

He said: “Today, we successfully repatriated another batch of 138 Nigerians who were stranded in different parts of Libya as irregular migrants.

“Among the evacuees today are 77 males, 56 females, 11 children, and four infants. They departed aboard chartered flight UZ 189 from the Tripoli International Airport and would arrive at the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos.

“It is the fourth evacuation exercise the Nigerian Mission in Libya has conducted this year as part of the 4D foreign policy of the present administration, and under the directives of the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs.

“So far, nearly one thousand stranded Nigerians have safely returned home in 2024.”

The envoy said the evacuation exercises were carried out in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Libya under its consistent Voluntary Humanitarian Repatriation (VHR) programme.

“With the support of the Libyan authorities, we also successfully facilitated the release and repatriation of those in detention facilities for immigration-related offences.

“Surely, we will not rest on our oars while discharging our obligations and rendering necessary consular assistance to Nigerians in Libya,” he added.

The federal government has evacuated over 5,000 Nigerians from the North African nation since 2023.

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