On Tuesday, 109 stranded Nigerian migrants returned from Libya to their homeland, according to Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
The Lagos Territorial Office Coordinator, Ibrahim Farinloye said the returnees were assisted back into the country through the special intervention of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
According to Punch NG newspaper, Farinloye said that the returnees arrived aboard Al Buraq Air Boeing 737-800, with registration number 5A-DMG which touched down at the Cargo Wing of the airport.
“NEMA has received a batch of 109 stranded Nigerians from Tripoli, Libya. The profile of the returnees indicates that 46 adult females, two female children, and one female infant were brought back. In addition to this, 52 male adults, four male children, and four infant males were also among the returnees,” Farinloye said.
“The flight landed around 5:55 pm with two medical cases included… Farinloye urged the returnees to use the opportunity of their return back to the country to be ambassadors of good tidings to other youths still planning to travel outside,” the statement added.
In April, the Benghazi Security Directorate announced the dismantling of a prostitution ring, that included men and women of varying African nationalities.
The Directorate said in a statement that it “received information that Nigerians were using a house in Benghazi for prostitution and to hold promiscuous parties.”
Members of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) monitored the house for several days, then undertook a raid of the premises, after obtaining a warrant from the Public Prosecution.
According to the CID statement, “underwear, wigs, and contraceptive pills were found in the suspicious house.” Those arrested have been placed in police custody, and will be referred to the competent authorities to complete the procedures and transfer them to trial.
Earlier, the CID arrested four migrants for allegedly running a prostitution ring in the Hawari area of Benghazi, according to Nigeria’s Naija News. The Libyan authorities said the migrants were arrested during an attempt to solicit a young woman.
“The CID in Benghazi dismantled a prostitution ring and arrested four undocumented migrants including a woman of Nigerian nationality in the Hawari area,” Migrant Rescue Watch said in a tweet, on Sunday. “The 20-year-old female was being sold by her pimp for 50 LYD (ca. 10 USD) per customer,” it added.
