The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) received 180 Nigerian migrants, including women and children, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Tuesday night. The returnees arrived aboard a chartered Buraq Airline flight at approximately 8:15 p.m., landing at the Pilgrims and Cargo Terminal. They were voluntary returnees from Libya, most of whom had been held in detention camps in Benghazi. IOM Subhead in Lagos, Ali Ibrahim, stated that the group consisted of 108 adult females, 45 adult males, 17 children and 12 infants, making a total of 123 females and 59 males. Two children arrived unaccompanied, without parents or guardians. Upon arrival, all returnees received reception support, health screening and counselling. Those eligible will access reintegration assistance, including skills training, small business support and psychosocial care. Ibrahim noted that since the beginning of the programme, over 65,700 Nigerians have returned safely from various countries, with more than 52,200 receiving reintegration support. The operation was carried out in collaboration with the Nigerian government and with funding from the European Union. The IOM official emphasized that while return marks relief, it is only the first step in rebuilding lives. The agency remains engaged in supporting returnees to recover and reintegrate with dignity.
The IOM reports that two children returned without parents, yet describes the process as orderly and voluntary, raising questions about oversight in repatriation protocols. Over 65,700 Nigerians have returned through this programme, but the persistent flow suggests existing reintegration efforts are not deterring new departures. If return is truly becoming an opportunity, the scale of repeat migration remains unexplained.
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