By Louis Ibah
The Libyan government on Tuesday deported about 253 Nigerians for alleged violation of immigration laws.
The deportees included 102 males, 140 females, six children and five infants.
They were brought back from Libya yesterday aboard a chartered Airbus A330-200 with registration number 5A-LAT operated by Libya Airlines which touched down the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at about 6.45pm.
The returnees were received at the Hajj Camp area of the airport by officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) , the National Agency for the Protection of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Police.
Director, Search and Rescue for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Dr Onimode Bandele, said two of the returnees had severe medical issues.
According to him, one of them was suffering from severe burns requiring surgical operation.
“As a government, our advice is that young Nigerians should strive to work hard and tap into vast opportunities available in the country, instead of seeking greener pastures elsewhere., “ he said. Bamidele said some state governments had initiated various programmes to rehabilitate and reintegrate the returnees back into the society. Speaking to newsmen, the returnee (names withheld), who suffered the severe burns on her face, said she arrived Libya in February after making a payment of N300, 000 to her traffickers.
The returnee said she suffered the injury while working for her “madam” who only went to dump her at the hospital where she had been abandoned.
She, therefore appealed to the government for assistance to carry out a reconstructive surgery on her face in order for her life to return to normalcy.