The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says it received on Tuesday 131 stranded Nigerians from Libya at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

NEMA director-general Mustapha Ahmed, represented by the acting coordinator in Lagos, Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the development.

Mr Farinloye disclosed that the stranded Nigerians arrived at the Cargo Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport at about 7:20 p.m. in a Boeing 737-800 Al Buraq Air with registration number 5A-DMG.

He said the returnees were brought back to the country by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) through a voluntary repatriation programme.

The NEMA official added that the programme was meant for distressed Nigerians who had left the country for greener pastures.

According to him, the returnees are 31 male adults, 72 female adults, 11 boys, six girls, four female infants and seven male infants were repatriated.

He further mentioned that the batch IOM had helped 1,052 stranded Nigerians return home in 2022. Mr Farinloye appealed to the returnees to shun vices.

“We admonished the returnees on the need to realise that there’s no country better than Nigeria. Here, you have all the freedom to achieve your potential. Looking for greener pastures in foreign land is no longer a reality,” said the NEMA official. “Those countries are not better off when you consider the challenges you encounter there and here. You are encouraged to be positive ambassadors toward advocacy and sensitisation against irregular migration that leave the youths vulnerable to all sorts of abuses and death in extreme cases.”

(NAN)