LAGOS/Nigeria: The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), has received 145 Nigerian returnees from Benghazi, Libya, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
The returnees arrived at about 8:27 p.m. aboard an Al Buraq Airlines flight under the Assisted Voluntary Return programme facilitated by the IOM in partnership with the Federal Government of Nigeria.
In a statement signed by the Head of NEMA Lagos Operations Office, Mr. Mohammed Olatunde, the agency disclosed that the returnees comprised 122 adults, including 46 males and 76 females.
The group also included 29 children—13 males and 16 females—as well as 27 infants, made up of 17 males and 10 females.
Olatunde said officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service carried out biometric registration and documentation of the returnees upon arrival to ensure proper identification and ease of reintegration.
He added that the returnees were provided with immediate humanitarian support, including food, potable water, medical care and ambulance services for those in need.
According to him, additional assistance such as luggage handling, logistics support and counselling services were also extended to the returnees.
The agency noted that the coordinated response was aimed at ensuring a safe, humane and dignified reception process for the returnees as they begin the process of reintegration into the society.
