FG receives 118 Nigerian returnees from Libya

The Federal Government, on Wednesday, received 118 Nigerians who were stranded in Libya.

The returnees, comprising 51 males, 41 females, 17 children and nine infants, arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja at 1.30 am local time on Wednesday via Buraq air.

This was announced by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission through its official Twitter handle, @nidcom_gov, on Wednesday.

The move was facilitated by the United Nations Migration and was jointly coordinated by the NiDCOM and the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

NiDCOM said the returnees would be quarantined at the Federal Capital Territory Hajj camp for 14 days in line with the new COVID-19 protocols by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.

The development is coming at a time when the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes disclosed that more Nigerians were likely to become victims of human trafficking as a result of the economic downturn that had been worsened by the impact of COVID-19.

According to reports by UNODC, Nigeria is the source, transit and destination country for human trafficking and the root causes of trafficking include poverty, lack of education, globalisation, corruption and gender inequality.

A representative from UNODC, Jessica Ebrard, said COVID-19 has had a drastic economic effect that had led to the loss of jobs, making more people vulnerable to be trafficked out of Nigeria.

According to her, traffickers disguise themselves as helpers to victims, whom they promise job opportunities and greener pastures outside the country, only to traffick them for purposes of drug trade, servitudes, prostitution and organ harvesting, among others.