Read what happened to 172 Nigerians in Libya
– 172 Nigerians trying to get to Europe through Libya were arrested
– Many of them have been in detention centres in Libya
– They have repatriated to Nigeria.
About 172 Nigerian migrants in Libya on their way to Europe have been repatriated back to the country.
Daily Post reports that according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the migrants including six women were on their way to Europe when they were apprehended by the Libyan government.
IOM however said the arrested migrants were lucky that were put in detention centres as many other migrants have lost their lives at the Mediterranean. About 97 migrants have reportedly died this year alone on the route linking Libya to Italy.
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It was disclosed that due to the [physical and psychological ordeal that migrants went through and the unstable situation in Libya, they were placed in detention centres.
The deportation of the Nigerians was done in close cooperation with Libyan authorities, Nigeria’s embassy in Tripoli and the IOM office in Nigeria.
A chattered flight carrying the deportees left Mitiga Airport in Libya on Friday, March 11 and arrived in Lagos on March 12. They were received and screened by various agencies such as Nigeria Immigration Services, the police and the National Agency for Protection and trafficking in Persons.
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Mr Ekpedeme King who is the public relations officer of the immigration service confirmed the deportation of the Nigerians. He added that among other offences, some of them had overstayed their visas.
“Some Nigerians were deported today for immigration offences.
“Most of those returned overstayed in Libya,”
The culture of using the north African route to get across to Europe in prevalent especially in the country and many have lost their lives in the desert due to dehydration and harsh weather. The complain is that Europe is the promised land and life is unbearable in the country.
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