The Federal Government of Nigeria has repatriated 158 irregular Nigerian migrants from Libya.
This is contained in a statement by Nigeria’s Charge’ d’ Affaires to Libya, Amb Mohammed Mohammed.
Mohammed said that the group of evacuees comprised 77 males, 45 females, 26 children as well as 10 infants.
According to him, of the total number, 26 males arrested from the ongoing raid of undocumented foreigners in Libya were released from Abu-Salim Detention Centre in Tripoli.
The Envoy added that 1,776 stranded Nigerians have returned home so far, adding that the repatriation was a collaborative effort between the mission and the Libyan authorities.
Mohammed further stated that the collaboration was under the International Organization for Migration, IOM, under the organization’s Voluntary Humanitarian Repatriation, VHR.
“This marks the 12th evacuation exercise carried out by the Nigerian Mission in Libya this year.
“The current exercise follows the repatriation of 142 irregular Nigerian migrants from Sabha, Libya, on July 19.
“While some of them were rescued from the Mediterranean Sea by the Libyan Coastal Guards, others were arrested on charges of prostitution, illegal entry, overstay, and lack of proper documentation, while others willingly submitted themselves to the IOM in Libya for repatriation.
“Nigerians living in Libya, from many indications, already have damaged reputations due to the alleged nefarious activities of some criminal elements among them.
“Some have been fingered in the commitment of crimes such as kidnapping for ransom, drug peddling, prostitution, sale of alcohol, as well as cultism and human trafficking with their Libyan collaborators, among others.
“It is, therefore, as a result of the above that, arrest and deportation of Nigerians may continue in the weeks and months ahead,” he said.
The envoy urged Nigerians to shun irregular migrations, saying that there have been increasing and coordinated raids of illegal migrants across the cities of Libya.
