By Bose Adelaja
Barely three hours after a batch of 245 Nigerian returnees arrived Nigeria Tueday, another set of 142 have voluntarily returned to Nigeria at about 11.25 pm increasing the figure to 387 within three hours.

Another 142 Libya returnees arrive Nigeria

They landed at the Cargo Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos MMIA, aboard Nouvelair airline Airbus A320 with Registration number TS-INA.

The journey was facilitated by the International Organisation for Migration IOM, and European Union.

One of the 387 returnees, Festus Ogbonaya from Imo State said he expended a total of N1.1m on the journey.

He said, “I left Nigeria in September 2017 by land but at Sabratha, we were waylaid and tortured but I called my people at home who sent me N200,000 to bail myself.

The Arabs are wicked and are in collaborations with some Nigerians to torture many of us. My escape was by God’s grace because many of us died on the way,”

Another returnee Sarah Sunday 25, said she left Nigeria two years ago and spent over N850,000 on the journey.

The 387 returnees were received by National Emergncy Management Agency NEMA and other relevant agencies like National Agency For Prohibition Of Trafficking In Persons (NAPTIP), Federal Airports Authorities of Nigeria FAAN and Nigeria Police Force.

Also the Osun State government has joined Edo and Delta States to take-up the responsibility of catering for its indigenes who are among the returnees.

NEMA Zonal Coordinator, Alhaji Suleiman Yakubu, who represented Director General Mustapha Maihajja, enjoined other states government to take the bull by horn in coming up with rehabilitation and reintegration incentives for the returnees in addition to what is being provided at national and international levels.