171 Nigerian returnees from Libya arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Tuesday and recounted their ordeal in the North African nation.
The returnees were received by Special Adviser on Diaspora and Foreign Affairs to the President, Mrs. Abike Dabiri – Erewa, who cautioned Nigerians to desist from dangerous search for greener pasture in Libya.
She said Tuesday’s returnees bring to over 1,000 the number of people who have returned home from Libya in the last two years.
The returnees comprised 112 females, 49 males and five infants.
They were flown in aboard an Airbus 320 belonging to Nouvelair with registration number TS – INB that landed at 4:13 p.m.
They were also received by officials of International Organization of Migration (IOM), Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigerian Police, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other security agencies.
Speaking to journalists at the Hajj Camp axis of the Lagos airport, Dabiri – Erewa admonished the returnees not to see themselves as criminals, but Nigerians who sought for greener pastures, but could now tell a different story.
She urged parents to advise their children against such risky ventures of traveling to foreign lands without knowing the risks involved.
The presidential aide implored state governments to design empowerment programmes for returnees to enable them pick their lives back.
Dabiri- Erewa said: “This is not the time to travel abroad. It is always a sad story to be trafficked. Some of these persons wanted better life, but now they know better that it is not worth the trouble.
“We will continue to urge parents to discourage their children from embarking on such trips.”
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