Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed, Nigeria’s Charge d’Affaires to Libya, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, adding that the group of evacuees comprised 77 males, 45 females, 26 children as well as 10 infants.
The Nigerian Government has repatriated 158 Nigerian migrants from Libya who were residing there irregularly.
Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed, Nigeria’s Charge d’Affaires to Libya, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, adding that the group of evacuees comprised 77 males, 45 females, 26 children as well as 10 infants.
He noted that 26 males, who were arrested during the ongoing raid of undocumented foreigners in Libya, were released from the Abu-Salim Detention Centre in Tripoli.
He stated that a total of 1,776 stranded Nigerians had returned home so far.
He explained that the repatriation was the result of a joint effort between the mission and Libyan authorities.
The envoy said the collaboration was facilitated through the International Organization for Migration (IOM) under its Voluntary Humanitarian Repatriation (VHR) program.
“This marks the 12th evacuation exercise carried out by the Nigerian Mission in Libya this year.
“The current exercise follows the repatriation 142 irregular Nigerian migrants from Sabha, Libya, on July 19.
“While some of them were rescued from the Mediterranean Sea by the Libyan Coastal Guards, others were arrested on charges of prostitution, illegal entry, overstay and lack of proper documentation while others willingly submitted themselves to the IOM in Libya for repatriation.
“Nigerians living in Libya, from many indications, already have damaged reputations due to the alleged nefarious activities of some criminal elements among them.
“Some have been fingered in the commitment of crimes such as kidnapping for ransom, drug peddling, prostitution, sale of alcohol as well as cultism and human trafficking with their Libyan collaborators, among others.
“It is, therefore, as a result of the above that, arrest and deportation of Nigerians may continue in the weeks and months ahead,” he said.
He, however, urged Nigerians to shun irregular migrations saying that there have been increasing and coordinated raids of illegal migrants across Libyan cities.
He stated the Libyan authorities view the influx of illegal migrants as a national security threat and have pledged to use all legal measures to combat the problem.