10,000 Nigerians Evacuated from Libya Since 2017

By Chinedu Eze

The National Emergency Management Agency (NAMA) said on Friday that total of 10, 000 Nigerians had returned from Libya from April 2017 to October 2018.

NEMA made this known during the 50th flight of voluntary returnees from Libya who arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos in the early hours of yesterday.

A total of 161 Nigerians arrived with the 50th flight with the assistance of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

 Among the arrivals were 147 adults, four children, 10 infants and one unaccompanied seven-year-old minor.

 Earlier on Tuesday, NEMA had received a batch of 149 returnees, making a total of 310 returnees brought back in the week.

 It was learnt that on Tuesday, a pregnant woman went into labour immediately she arrived at the MMIA cargo wing and she was delivered of a baby boy by the combined team of medical personnel on ground.

The Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, Alhaji Suleiman Yakubu commended the IOM and other development partners for their humanitarian efforts on the returnees.

Represented by Mr. Segun Afolayan, the Coordinator noted that since the pact with IOM in 2011, the synergy and partnership of UN agency has been smooth.

The Zonal Coordinator appealed to the returnees not to feel ashamed to disclose their health status on arrival in Nigeria.

This, he noted, would help government to take care of them adequately, adding that information on health status of some of the returnees were only revealed by others who felt it was a national responsibility for them to help the general public.

He also urged the families of the returnees to ensure that all their relations go for full medical examinations as soon as they arrive their homes.