NEMA Receives 181 Nigerians Evacuated From Libya — Including 12 Children and 10 Infants

The National Emergency Management Agency has received 181 Nigerians evacuated from Tripoli, Libya — including 12 children and 10 infants — in the latest batch of returnees under the government’s repatriation programme.

The group arrived on April 27 at approximately 8:13 PM at the cargo terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, aboard an Air Buraq Airline flight (registration 5A-BAB). They were flown back under the Assisted Voluntary Return programme, jointly facilitated by the International Organisation for Migration and the Federal Government.

Who Came Back

NEMA’s Lagos Operations Office received the group alongside the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons. The breakdown: 159 adults (64 male, 95 female), 12 children (5 male, 7 female), and 10 infants (6 male, 4 female).

Nigeria Immigration Service officials conducted biometric registration and documentation on arrival. NEMA confirmed the returnees will receive reintegration support in line with the Federal Government’s safe and dignified return commitment.

The Bigger Picture

Libya is one of the most dangerous transit points for Nigerians attempting to reach Europe through irregular channels. Those who make it back typically describe detention, forced labour, and violence before IOM’s voluntary return pathway gave them a way out.

This is not a one-off. NEMA received a separate batch of 180 Nigerians from Libya earlier in April — suggesting the repatriation effort is consistent, even as the conditions pushing people to leave in the first place remain unchanged.

Sources: Punch, BarristerNG, DiasporaNigeria