The Federal Government, in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration, has facilitated the return of 281 Nigerians who were stranded and detained in various camps in Libya.

The Charge d’Affaires En Titre of the Nigerian Mission in Libya, Ambassador Kabiru Musa, made this announcement on Tuesday in a statement issued in Abuja.

According to Musa, the rescued individuals consist of 159 Nigerians freed from detention facilities in Libya and an additional 122 Nigerians who were stranded in the country.

The evacuees departed from Tripoli International Airport in Libya on Tuesday and are expected to arrive at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport on the same evening.

“The Federal Government in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration airlifted 122 stranded Nigerians on Dec. 12, from Tripoli, Libya, to Lagos aboard chartered flight No.UZ 189.”

“The flight has 47 male adults, 45 female adults, 18 children, and 12 infants. All the passengers were stranded in various areas of Tripoli.”

“The other 159 Nigerians from detention centres were also repatriated aboard chartered flight No.UZ190 at 13:25 hours local time and are expected to arrive at Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos at 16:25 hours the same day,” he said.

Onboard the flight were 50 male adults, 94 female adults, and 6 infants.

Musa expressed gratitude for the IOM’s collaboration and emphasized the Voluntary Humanitarian Repatriation as a testament to Nigeria’s commitment to addressing the challenges faced by its citizens both within the country and abroad.

“The continuous Voluntary Humanitarian Repatriation is a reflection of the commitments of the Nigerian government to address the challenges of its citizens both at home and abroad.”

“We continue to thank the IOM and the Libyan authorities for all their support in making the evacuation exercise and the release of those in detention facilities possible,” he added.

He further revealed that with the support of the IOM, the Nigerian Mission in Libya has successfully repatriated over 6,000 stranded Nigerians from Libya between 2022 and December 2023.