December 7, 2017: The Federal Government has confirmed that about 2,778 registered Nigerians are in accessible detention camps and will be repatriated soon.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made this known in a statement signed by its Spokesperson, Tiwatope Adeleye on Monday.
According to the statement, as part of further efforts to address the plight of Nigerians in the North African country, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama has invited the Charge d’Affaires, en titre (Head of Mission) in the Embassy, Mr. Iliya Danladi Fachano, to Abuja for consultations.
The statement noted that he is currently in Abuja and during the period of the consultations, arrangements have been made for him to address press conferences on the issue.
Furthermore, the ministry said that the Embassy has been visiting detention camps to identify Nigerians for registration and issue Emergency Travel Certificates (ETC) to them.
“As of today, the Embassy has a record of 2,778 registered Nigerians in accessible detention camps and they are ready for repatriation.
“The Embassy, in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), repatriates 250 Nigerian migrants by flight to Lagos weekly – each flight can accommodate only 250 passengers.
“Thus far, the Embassy, in collaboration with the IOM has repatriated about 3,000 Nigerians.
“From the 2,778 registered Nigerians who are still in detention camps, by tomorrow, Tuesday 5th of December, 2017, another set of 250 Nigerian migrants will be arriving at Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos at 7.00.p.m. to be received by NEMA officials.
“The repatriation is a continuous exercise and the Embassy routinely issues the requisite travel documents to the migrants.”
Furthermore, the Ministry noted that the Embassy will continue to engage the legitimate government in Libya and other stakeholders in addressing the plight of Nigerian migrants in the country.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has planned to engage the United Nations, African Union, European Union and other stakeholders to ensure that the perpetrators of the slavery are brought to justice and that the phenomenon is brought to an end, as it violates the fundamental human rights of the victims and it is unacceptable to the civilized world.”
It, however, warned Nigerians to avoid travelling to Libya because of the dangers they may encounter.
“The Ministry would like to seize this opportunity to advise intending Nigerian travelers to avoid Libya at this period, because of the dangers they may encounter in the process of their journey.”
So far, only about 144 migrants have returned as of Tuesday evening.
CTV