Another batch of 168 Nigerians stranded in Libya were repatriated on Friday, bringing to about 14,000, the number of distressed Nigerians brought home from the war-torn north African country.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) received the returnees at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The Acting Coordinator, NEMA Lagos Territorial Office, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, received the returnees and reported that the returnees arrived on aboard a chartered Al Buraq Airline with flight number UZ289/190 at 5:42 a.m after 12 hours delay.
He said that 38 female adults, five female children were on board with 109 adult males, six male children and 10 infants, among others.
He said that this had brought the total number of returnees from Libya from April 2017 to date to 8,096 males and 5,788 females.
“This has brought the total number of returnees brought to Nigeria from 16 countries to 15,731 since April 2017 to date,’’ he said.
According to Farinloye, the European Union (EU) and International Organisation of Migration (IOM) are playing critical roles in the repatriation.
”Nigerian returnees from Niger Republic stood at 1,043 males and 556 females; Morocco male 42, female 37; Liberia male eight and female four.
”Burkina Faso male six, female 18, France male three, female one, while Ireland had only one female, but countries like Poland, Austria, Gambia, Mauritania, Ethiopia had one male each assisted back.
”Chad had one male, two females and Cote d’Ivoire had only two females brought back within the period,” Farinloye added.
MM/GIK/APA