The returnees very early Tuesday morning

Lagos, May 8, 2018 (AltAfrika)-A batch of 218 Nigerians deported from Libya, Tuesday have arrived Lagos aboard a chartered BURAQ Airline .

The chartered flight with registration number 5A-LAU landed at about 3.44am, at the NAHCO Tarmac of the Murtala Muhammad International Airport MMIA, Lagos.

The deportees, 46 female adults including a stable medical case, two male children and 9 male infants, were handed over to National Emergency Management Agency NEMA, by Mr Abraham Tamrat, the Programme Manager of International Organisation of Migrants, IOM, Lagos.

On arrival, they were received by the South West Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, Alhaji Yakubu Suleiman, who admonished the returnees to be champions of change in sensitising the youths against the urge of seeking greener pastures through illegal migration outside the shores of the country as it is a dangerous venture.

A returnee, Ms Titilayo Kayode-Owojori from Ile Ife, Osun State, regretted embarking on the ill-fated journey thanking God for bringing her back safe and healthy.

She said “Nigeria is far better than where we thought we could get better lives, the Libyans live with the sweat of the blacks. If the Arabs see us working and collecting wages, they wait and bust our houses to collect the money, if they don’t see any money, they would kidnap us and ask us to call Nigeria to send us money to free ourselves. If we can’t raise money, we would be sold out or imprisoned.

“I pray that our government in Nigeria will live up to the expectations of the promised improvement of enabling environment for us.”

The arrival has brought the total 8,129 of the Returnees in this phase of EU/IOM Assisted Voluntary Returnees.