An Airbus 320 aircraft with registration number 5A-WAT on Thursday arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport , Lagos with 162 Nigerians who had been stranded in Libya.
The returnees, comprising of 132 males, 27 females and three children, returned voluntarily to the country at about 3 p. m.
The returnees were brought back by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in collaboration with the Swiss Government and the Nigerian Embassy in Libya.
The details of the returnees were taken by officials of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP) and the Police.
Also on ground to receive the returnees were officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
Two of the returnees, who were in critical conditions upon arrival, were immediately rushed to the hospital for urgent medical attention.
Addressing newsmen, Ms Sara Hammon, Assisted Voluntary Return and Re-Integration Consultant, IOM, Lagos, said the returnees had indicated their willingness to go back to Nigeria.
She said: “This flight has come from Tripoli in Libya, carrying some Nigerian migrants who were stranded in Libya and have volunteered to return home.
“They have been assisted by the Swiss Government and the IOM to come back to their country of origin.
“What happens after this is that they will get a stipend from IOM and will be assisted to get to their final destinations,’’ Hammon said.
According to her, the returnees are all Nigerians and were profiled by the NIS upon landing at the airport.
