Libya to deport 131 Nigerians Wednesday

Another batch of 131 Nigerians would be deported into the country on Wednesday, May 22, from the North African country, Libya.

The impending returnees, consisting of males, females and toddlers are expected to land in the country at 9pm on Wednesday through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

A source close to one of the security agencies at the Lagos Airport, confided in our correspondent that a chartered aircraft, a Boeing 787-800, belonging to Buraq Airlines with the registration number 5ADMG would return the deportees to Nigeria.

The Nigerians are being deported from the war-torn North African country for illegally entering and residing in Libya.

The stranded Nigerians would be assisted back to the country through the humanitarian efforts of International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and special funding from European Union (EU) for reintegration process for the voluntary returnees after their futile attempts cross over to Europe through Libya.

The source said that all the security agencies at the Lagos Airport had been notified of the impending return of the Nigerians.

Some of the security agencies included – the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Aviation Security (AVSEC), Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Police, Department of Security Service (DSS) and several others.

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Besides, it is expected that officials of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) would receive the deportees on arrival in Nigeria.

It would be recalled that the exercise has been ongoing since 2017 with the 66^th flights performed late last month.

As at the last time, over 13, 000 Nigerians have been returned to the country through the exercise.

Most of the returnees had planned to use Libya as a departing point to Europe, but were later stranded in the North African country.

IFEOMA OKEKE

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.