NEMA receives 181 Nigerians evacuated from Libya under assisted return programme

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has taken custody of 181 Nigerian nationals repatriated from Tripoli, Libya, as part of the Assisted Voluntary Return programme coordinated by the International Organization for Migration in partnership with the Federal Government.

The development was disclosed in a statement shared on Tuesday via NEMA’s official X platform.

According to the agency, the returnees were received by its Lagos Operations Office in collaboration with the National Commission for Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons.

According to the statement, “The National Emergency Management Agency, Lagos Operations Office, in collaboration with the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, has received 181 Nigerian returnees from Tripoli, Libya, under the ongoing Assisted Voluntary Return programme facilitated by the International Organisation for Migration in partnership with the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“The returnees arrived on April 27, 2026, at approximately 20:13 hours at the cargo terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, aboard an Air Buraq Airline flight with registration number 5A-BAB.

“The breakdown of the returnees includes 159 adults, comprising 64 males and 95 females; 12 children, made up of five males and seven females; and 10 infants, comprising six males and four females.”

On arrival, officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service conducted biometric registration and documentation of the returnees to ensure proper identification and facilitate reintegration.

Read also: Presidency defends Tinubu’s record in North-West, highlights key projects ahead of tour

According to the statement, “Upon arrival, officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service carried out biometric registration and documentation to ensure accurate records and facilitate seamless reintegration.”

NEMA added that the evacuees were immediately provided with essential humanitarian support in line with government policy.

The agency noted, “In line with the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring the safe, dignified, and humane return of its citizens, the returnees were provided with immediate humanitarian assistance, including food and potable water; medical care; ambulance services; luggage handling; logistics support; as well as counselling and coordination services.”

It added, “The reception exercise was successfully conducted in an orderly manner through effective collaboration among relevant stakeholders, ensuring the provision of necessary support services to the returnees.”

The latest evacuation follows a similar exercise less than a month earlier, when NEMA, working with the IOM, received 145 Nigerians evacuated from Benghazi, Libya, in March.

Those evacuees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport at about 8:27 p.m. aboard an Al Buraq Airlines flight under the same Assisted Voluntary Return programme.

According to the Head of NEMA’s Lagos Operations Office, Mohammed Olatunde, the earlier group consisted of 122 adults — 46 males and 76 females — alongside 29 children (13 boys and 16 girls) and 27 infants, including 17 males and 10 females.

The post NEMA receives 181 Nigerians evacuated from Libya under assisted return programme appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from Ripples Nigeria.