The Federal Government has repatriated 158 irregular Nigerian migrants from Libya, according to Nigeria’s Charge d’Affaires to Libya, Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed. In a statement released on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, Mohammed detailed that the group of evacuees included 77 males, 45 females, 26 children, and 10 infants.
The ambassador clarified that 26 of the males were among those arrested during ongoing raids targeting undocumented foreigners in Libya and were released from the Abu-Salim Detention Centre in Tripoli.
To date, a total of 1,776 stranded Nigerians have been brought back to their home country. The repatriation effort was a joint initiative involving the Nigerian mission and Libyan authorities, supported by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) through its Voluntary Humanitarian Repatriation (VHR) program.
“This marks the 12th evacuation conducted by the Nigerian Mission in Libya this year,” Mohammed noted. “This operation follows the repatriation of 142 irregular Nigerian migrants from Sabha, Libya, on July 19.”
He explained that some of the migrants were rescued from the Mediterranean Sea by Libyan Coastal Guards, while others were arrested for offenses such as prostitution, illegal entry, overstaying, and lacking proper documentation. Additionally, some individuals voluntarily sought repatriation through the IOM.
The ambassador also highlighted that Nigerians in Libya have suffered reputational damage due to alleged criminal activities by some individuals among them, including kidnapping, drug trafficking, prostitution, alcohol sales, cultism, and human trafficking in collaboration with Libyan accomplices.
He cautioned that the arrest and deportation of Nigerians might persist in the coming weeks and months. He urged Nigerians to avoid irregular migration, emphasizing that Libyan authorities are intensifying raids against illegal migrants and view the influx as a national security concern.
