A total of 159 Nigerians stranded in Libya while seeking to enter Europe voluntarily returned home on Wednesday, Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said.
The Nigerians, who arrived in the economic hub Lagos Wednesday evening, were received by local officials, Ibrahim Farinloye, NEMA’s coordinator, told reporters.
Among them were 67 male adults, 80 female adults, 10 children and two infants, Farinloye said.
Libya has for years been a preferred point of departure for illegal migrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores.
The returnees were supported by the International Organization for Migration through the Voluntary Humanitarian Return program, which makes arrangements to help illegal immigrants stranded in Libya return to their homelands. Since 2015, more than 53,000 illegal migrants have returned from Libya through the program.