FG to evacuate other Nigerians from Libya

The Federal Government is set to evacuate another set of Nigerian immigrants from Libya in February, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said. The Deputy Director of Search and Rescue of the agency, Dr Bandele Onimode, disclosed this when a delegation from NEMA paid a courtesy call on the Senior Special Assistant to the President […]

The Federal Government is set to evacuate another set of Nigerian immigrants from Libya in February, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said.

The Deputy Director of Search and Rescue of the agency, Dr Bandele Onimode, disclosed this when a delegation from NEMA paid a courtesy call on the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, in Abuja.

He said some Nigerians are currently trapped in Niger on their way to Europe through the Sahara desert, but the agency is working to rescue them back home.

He said the Federal Government had already evacuated over 1,000 voluntary returnees from Libya between 2015 and 2016.

He said that 325 returnees were evacuated in May 2015, while 669 returnees were evacuated four times in 2016.

Onimode explained that 175, 160, 172, 162 returnees were evacuated from Libya, in August, October, and December 2016 respectively.

According to him, most of the returnees were from Delta and Edo between the ages of 16 and 22. There are also cases of infants being accompanied by their mothers, he said.

He, however, said NEMA was working with other sister agencies which include the DSS, Police, FAAN, and NAPTIP to address cases of victims of trafficking.

In her remarks, Dabiri-Erewa called on Nigerians especially parents to warn their children and wards against embarking on illegal migration through Libya and the desert to Europe.

"The issue of migration through Libya, Morocco is very dangerous and we advise Nigerians to desist from such dangerous adventure, because a lot of these black migrants are dumped into the sea," she said.