UN Agency Repatriates 180 Stranded Nigerians From Libya
The International Organisation for Migration has evacuated 180 stranded Nigerian migrants from Benghazi, Libya, back to Lagos. The repatriation exercise represents the latest phase of the Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration programme. Financed largely by the European Union, the initiative operates in close coordination with the Federal Government of Nigeria. The returnees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Tuesday night aboard a specially chartered flight. The group faces an uncertain future as they attempt to settle back into their home communities.
The profile of the arriving passenger manifest underscores the deep societal costs of irregular migration. The group consists primarily of vulnerable women and children, including 108 adult females, 45 adult males, and 12 infants. Airport immigration officials confirmed that two unaccompanied minors were among the 17 children on the flight. Nearly 50 individuals in this batch came directly from overcrowded detention camps scattered around Libya. The remaining returnees had been living precariously in the suburbs of Benghazi before requesting humanitarian intervention to escape severe exploitation.
Upon their arrival in Lagos, emergency officials moved the returnees to a dedicated reception centre for immediate processing. Multilateral workers provided emergency medical aid, hot meals, mental health counseling, and profiling services to the exhausted group. The migration agency has put together a long-term economic support framework to prevent these individuals from slipping back into the hands of human traffickers. The rehabilitation package includes vocational skills training, education grants, and basic business startup capital. However, past tracking data reveals that structural economic stagnation at home frequently tempts returnees to attempt the perilous journey again.
The expansion of this repatriation programme reflects a worrying surge in irregular travel volumes across North Africa. The migration agency has assisted over 65,700 stranded Nigerians to return home since the inception of the program in 2017. To keep pace with rising demand, international partners have scaled up these evacuation flights to a weekly routine. Evacuation teams focus on major entry hubs in Kano and Lagos, alongside daily commercial processing at the capital airport in Abuja. The agency maintains that while migration is a fundamental human right, journeys must occur through safe and legal administrative channels.
The continuous outflow of youth highlights the deep desperation driven by local unemployment and high domestic inflation. Domestic immigration officials recently stepped up public awareness campaigns to caution citizens against travelling without valid documentation. They warned that bypassing formal border controls leaves travellers highly vulnerable to forced labour and arbitrary imprisonment abroad. The federal government must address the underlying economic drivers of this flight to find a permanent solution. For now, international charity funds remain the primary safety net keeping these vulnerable citizens alive.