By Adekunle Williams and Solomon Asowata
Dakar, Feb. 15 (NAN) The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) 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, Southwest of Nigeria.
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 (IOM) and European Union under the Assisted Voluntary Returnees (AVR) 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 up 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, 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 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 traveling to Libya. I never knew the situation in Libya before I left; if I had known, I wouldn’t have traveled there.
« Nigeria is far better than that country. We need prayers and sincerity in Nigeria.
« I worked as a housemaid and had 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.
Another returnee, Miss Aisha Ibrahim from Oyo State, said she thought traveling to Libya would give her opportunity to have a better life.
She said: « My sister paid for my transportation and after a week on arrival in Libya, I got a housemaid work.
« You must work and carryout any instructions given by those people. Failure to obey them will attract punishment or arrest. »
Ibrahim said she decided to return home after she was unjustly arrested and her sister had to pay N400, 000 to secure her release.
