The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has received 181 Nigerian returnees from Tripoli, Libya, under the Assisted Voluntary Return programme facilitated by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in partnership with the Federal Government. The returnees arrived on April 27, 2026, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, aboard an Air Buraq Airline flight. The breakdown includes 159 adults (64 males, 95 females), 12 children, and 10 infants. Less than a month earlier, NEMA had received another 145 returnees from Benghazi, Libya, in March.
Key Points
- 22 children and infants are among those returning from harsh migration conditions in Libya.
- Families receive reunited loved ones after traumatic journeys through irregular migration routes.
- The Federal Government continues its commitment to dignified returns under IOM partnership.
- Returnees receive immediate humanitarian assistance including food, medical care, and counselling.
- Two evacuations in as many months signal persistent irregular migration from Libya to Europe.
Watch whether reintegration programmes successfully prevent returnees from attempting the migration route again and if more evacuations follow.
Sources: The Punch
