The National Emergency Management Agency says it has confirmed the authenticity of a video recently circulating on the social media, which captured some stranded migrants in Libya, Punch reports.
The spokesman for the agency in the South-West, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, told our correspondent on Monday that NEMA had found out that there were no fewer than 400 Nigerians among the stranded migrants shown in the video.
Farinloye said the video prompted NEMA to consult the International Organisation for Migration, which later found out that the video was genuine and that about 400 Nigerians were among the migrants.
He said based on the effort, NEMA had profiled the migrants and established that Nigerians were among other migrants who were trying to cross the high sea to Europe but were stranded in Libya.
He said NEMA had made contact with the migrants and many of them had volunteered to return to the country.
He said they would be brought back to the country in three batches, adding that the first batch of the migrants, comprising 180 persons, including five teenagers and three sick persons, would arrive in the country today (Tuesday).
He said, “Based on the report that we saw on the social media that some Nigerians were stranded in Libya, NEMA had to consult the International Organisation for Migration and based on enquiry by the IOM and NEMA, we found out that the video was genuine and in the course of profiling we found that about 400 Nigerians were among those people while other nationals were also there. And based on that effort many of them have volunteered to return to the country.
“This voluntary return will commence tomorrow (today). About 180 of them are expected tomorrow (Tuesday), while another batch of 180 persons will also be received next week Tuesday. We are going to have not less than three batches before the operation is concluded.”
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