Armed men attacked us, stole our earnings in Libya – Returnees

Some stranded Nigerians repatriated from Libya on Sunday recounted how armed men attacked and dispossessed them of their money and valuables while struggling to survive in the North African country. The returnees spoke after the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) received another batch of 329 stranded Nigerians from Agadez in Niger Republic at the Malam […]

Some stranded Nigerians repatriated from Libya on Sunday recounted how armed men attacked and dispossessed them of their money and valuables while struggling to survive in the North African country.

The returnees spoke after the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) received another batch of 329 stranded Nigerians from Agadez in Niger Republic at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The Head of Operations, NEMA Kano Office, Dr Nura Abdullahi, said the returnees arrived at about 10:50am in six luxury buses.

He said the returnees were brought back through a collaborative effort involving the Federal Government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nigerian Mission in Niger Republic and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) under a voluntary repatriation programme.

“The programme is aimed at ensuring the safe and dignified return of stranded Nigerians,” he said.
Abdullahi said the returnees comprised 165 males, 72 females, 46 boys and 46 girls from Kaduna, Jigawa, Kano, Borno and Katsina states, among others.

One of the returnees, Mrs Fatima Sani, a widow and mother of five from Nasarawa Local Government Area of Kano State, said she travelled to Libya in search of a better life after the death of her husband.

“My husband died two years ago, leaving me with five children. We had no food to eat and could not pay our house rent. That was why I travelled to Libya to make money to pay my rent and start a business,” she said.

Sani said life in Libya turned out to be difficult as she was attacked by thieves who collected all her money.

“I worked as a house help, sweeping and washing dishes, but armed robbers attacked me and took everything I had struggled to save,” she said.

Another returnee, Mrs Saihatu Idris, who travelled to Libya with her two children to sell ready-made clothes, said she also lost her goods and money to bandits.

“This was my first trip to Libya. Armed men attacked us and stole my clothes and money. I only spent 24 days there before returning home,” she said, adding that she now realised Nigeria was safer.

She appealed to the government to support returnees with grants to help them rebuild their lives and care for their families.