The International Organization for Migration (IOM), with support from the European Union’s program for the protection, return, and reintegration of migrants in North Africa, facilitated a voluntary humanitarian return journey during which 316 migrants were returned from the Libyan capital, Tripoli, to Lagos in Nigeria and N’Djamena in Chad.
This journey is part of a series of international efforts to return migrants stranded in Libya to their countries of origin and provide the necessary support for their reintegration into their communities.
On April 8th, Zwara Security Directorate announced the deportation of 180 Nigerian migrants via Mitiga International Airport in Tripoli, explaining that its personnel secured the bus route in coordination with the Department of International Relations and Cooperation at the Ministry of Interior, and following the instructions of the office of the Minister of Interior in GNU.
The IOM reported last March that 960 Nigerian migrants were returned from Libya to their homeland during the first quarter of this year, in coordination with its branch in Nigeria and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons. This was done through six separate flights that included 683 women, 132 men, 87 children, and 54 infants.
For her part, the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, warned of the dangers of irregular migration, noting that Libya remains a major transit point for migrants seeking to reach Europe via dangerous routes, especially across the Mediterranean Sea. Erewa called on Nigerian citizens to avoid these unsafe routes and to turn to legal options for migration to preserve their lives and safety.