The National Emergency Management Agency has received another batch of 160 stranded Nigerians from Libya.
Alhaji Idris Muhammed, Coordinator, Lagos Territorial Office of NEMA, confirmed the development to newsmen on Friday in Lagos.
Muhammed said the Nigerians arrived at the Cargo Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, at 7:50pm on Thursday aboard a chartered Nouvel Air aircraft and were received by NEMA and other government agencies.
According to him, they were brought back by the International Organisation for Migration and European Union under the Assisted Voluntary Returnees Programme.
He said, “The returnees are made up of 68 female adults, one female child and five female infants.
“Also, there are 79 male adults, two male children and five male infants making the total, 74 females and 86 males, including a psychologically traumatised adult male.
Muhammed advised young Nigerians to desist from embarking on irregular migration which removes the fundamental rights that such migrants could have enjoyed.
He noted that it was unfortunate that they had to expose themselves to danger in the quest for greener pastures outside the shores of the country.
One of the returnees, Ms Adebisi Komolafe, from Osogbo in Osun State, while narrating her experience to newsmen, urged Nigerians to continue praying for their leaders, especially the president.
Komolafe said, “Despite the bad situation in Libya, the people believe in their leaders and are praying fervently for them. They still see hope in their country.
“If Nigerians can avoid blaming the government for everything, with faith and sincerity, our prayers will be accepted by God.
“God will guide our leaders right if we direct our supplications to Almighty God to guide our leaders right.”
She also advised those still planning to travel to the volatile North African country to jettison the idea because it would be an exercise in futility.
“I don’t wish any Nigerian should think of travelling to Libya. I never knew the situation in Libya before I left; if I had known, I wouldn’t have travelled there.
“Nigeria is far better than that country. We need prayers and sincerity in Nigeria.
“I worked as a housemaid and had the opportunity to make some money but not having a government in place is a serious problem there.
I could not send money back home since I left Nigeria in 2016.
“The only thing I did was to buy goods that I can sell when I get back to Nigeria and I brought everything back now,” Komolafe said.
(NAN)
