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Tag: Libya

  • Slave trade: Oyeama leads FG’s delegation to evacuate stranded Nigerians in Libya

    The federal government’s special delegation, led by Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, on Wednesday departed Abuja for Tripoli, the Libyan Capital to evacuate Nigerians trapped in that country.

    The Head, Press and Public Relations of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, Josiah Emerole, made this known in a statement in Abuja.

    Mr. Emerole explained that the delegation was led by Mr. Onyeama.

    “Others members are the Director-General, NAPTIP, Julie Okah-Donli, and Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Senior Special Assistant to the President of Diaspora Matters,’’ he said.

    He said that the delegation departed the Presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Wednesday at 9:20 a.m. on-board the Nigeria Air Force Flight N5FGS.

    According to him, fact finding mission on the level of the enslavement of Nigerians in that country would be part of their engagements in Libya.

    He said that they would also engage the Libyan Authorities, Nigerian officials and Nigerian citizens living there, as well as International organisations working on migration issues in Libya.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that following reports of the enslavement of Nigerian Migrants in Libya, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the evacuation of all Nigerians trapped in the country back home.

    The president also set up a team led by the Foreign Affairs Minister to work out modalities for carrying out the mass evacuation.

    Since then, some high level meetings have been held among various federal government agencies with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, presiding.

    Mr. Emerole quoted the NAPTIP’s Director-General as saying that, “the Agency is ready to assist victims of human trafficking who will be returning to Nigeria to get properly reintegrated back into the Nigerian Society.

    ’“Our counsellors are fully ready to receive the returnees and give them the needed psycho-social assistance for proper reintegration into the society.

    “We will also help them with all the necessary tools to sustain themselves including vocational training and education assistance.

    “This will be done with assistance from government, corporate bodies and the international organisations.

    “This is not the time for anybody to stand aloof and watch the federal government to do it alone; all hands must be on deck now. Doing nothing will affect all of us,” she said.

     

  • FG appoints Med-view Airline to evacuate 5,037 Nigerians from Libya

    FG appoints Med-view Airline to evacuate 5,037 Nigerians from Libya

    The Federal Government has appointed Med-View Airline, through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), to participate in the evacuation of 5,037 Nigerians from Libya.

    The airline’s executive director, Business Development and Commercial, Isiaq Na’Allah, and Ibrahim Farinloye, the spokesman of NEMA, South-West Zone, confirmed the development in Lagos on Saturday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the agreement was signed between the parties on Friday in Abuja. It is expected to facilitate the smooth repatriation of Nigerians from the volatile North African country.

    The agreement was signed on behalf of the airline by Mr. Na’ Allah, while the Director-General of NEMA, Mustapha Maihaja and Fatima Bukar, a senior legal officer of NEMA, signed on behalf of the agency.

    Mr. Na’Allah said in a statement that Med-View Airline would participate in the transportation of the returnees with another carrier to be appointed by the government.

    “This kind of responsibility is meant for Nigerian carriers, because it is our responsibility, and we have the capacity to carry out this operation.

    “We have demonstrated the capacity that we can do it and we are honoured to have been appointed by the Federal Government through NEMA”, he said.

    According to him, it is a known fact that Med-View Airline has been in operations for the past 10 years and has successfully carried out Hajj operations within and outside the country.

    Mr. Na’Allah said: “I think that was a factor the government considered before we were assigned this national project.

    “We will deliver professionally up to international standard and the government is not making any mistake for entrusting Nigerian carrier to this kind of project.”

    NAN reports that a total of 6,806 Nigerians were evacuated from Libya in 2017 through the efforts of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the European Union (EU).

    However, following reports of gross abuse of Nigerians in the country where they had been stranded enroute Europe, President Muhammadu Buhari recently constituted a 17-man fact finding committee.

    The committee, headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, is saddled with the responsibility of facilitating the repatriation of Nigerians and also reintegrating them into the society, in collaboration with the state governments.

     

    (NAN)

  • 6,672 Nigerians voluntarily returned from Libya in 2017 – NEMA

    6,672 Nigerians voluntarily returned from Libya in 2017 – NEMA

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Friday said a total of 6,672 Nigerians voluntarily returned from Libya from Jan. 6 to Dec. 28, 2017.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Director General of NEMA, Alhaji Mustapha Maihajja, made this known while receiving a fresh batch of 257 Nigerians who arrived from Libya.

    Maihajja lauded the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) for their efforts at continuing the repatriation exercise even during the festive season.

    The DG who was represented by the Southwest Coordinator of NEMA, Alhaji Suleiman Yakubu, enjoined the returnees to join hands with various government agencies to tackle the problem of human trafficking in the country.

    He said they should assist the government in identifying the traffickers who had lured and deceived many young Nigerians to embark on the perilous journey with the promise of taking them to Europe.

    Maihajja assured them that government would treat all information with utmost confidentiality and secrecy needed.

    The DG also allayed their fears of facing “spiritual “consequences for exposing these evil persons, stressing that they had a duty to educate the public on what they went through in the volatile North African country.

    NAN reports that the new returnees arrived the Cargo Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at 6.05pm aboard an Afriqiyah Airbus A330-300 with Registration number 5A-OMR.

    They comprised 152 adult females, 82 adult males, nine children and 14 infants, with one having a medical case.

    The returnees arrived barely 24 hours after another batch of 157 Nigerians landed in the country from Libya where they had been stranded enroute Europe.

     

    NAN

     

  • Slave trade: Buhari inaugurates 17-man committee to rescue, stop exodus of Nigerians to Libya

    In a bid to stop the continuous exodus of some Nigerians to Libya with the hope of crossing to the Western world through the Mediterranean and also rescue those who has still trapped in that country, President Muhammadu Buhari has set up a 17-man fact-finding mission.

    The team may also open talks with Libyan authorities on how to stop the exodus of Nigerians to the Arab country.

    The panel has 38 days to evacuate all Nigerians trapped in Libya.

    The team, which will leave for Tripoli immediately, collaborating with the Nigerian mission in Libya.

    No fewer than 5,037 Nigerians have volunteered to return to the country but the number could rise, with the presence of the committee in Libya.

    About 6,091 have been brought back to Nigeria from Libya through collaboration between the National Emergency Management Agency( NEMA) and the International Organisation for Migration( IOM).

    The president’s 17-man team is headed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama.

    Others are Comptroller-General of Immigration Mohammed Babandede, NEMA Director- General Mustapha Maihaja, Senior Special Assistant to the President on the Diaspora Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons ( NAPTIP) Director-General Julie Okah-Donli, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, some diplomats and nine members of a sub-technical team.

    A source in the Presidency, who spoke in confidence, said: “This is the first elaborate measure put in place by the Federal Government under the leadership of President Buhari. Hitherto, NEMA had been managing reception centres for IOM.

    “To underscore his commitment, the President has directed that Monitoring and Evaluation desks be opened in his office and in Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s office. So, there is no room for tardiness at all.

    “This evacuation started on December 22 and the execution is planned to end within 38 days.

    Another top government source said “with the approval of the President, an operational secretariat has been activated. The secretariat, which is headed by the DG of NEMA., comprises all stakeholders and security agencies. The centre will be guided by the Monitoring and Evaluation Manual to ensure strict compliance and timely evacuation.

    “The government has established a Reception Centre in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital to receive the over 5, 037 returnees. The Zonal Coordinator of NEMA will manage the centre.

    Max Air and Medview have been approved as carriers to fly home the Nigerians.

    “NAPTIP, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons in conjunction with NEMA will be responsible for the rehabilitation of the returnees,” the source said.

    “We will receive and profile the returnees, ensure their health status and provide feeding arrangement. The University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital has been placed on the alert by the Federal Ministry of Health for appropriate medical attention for returnees in need. It is really a tidier structure,” the source said.

    The Federal Government is to work with the governors of the returnees’ states.

    The governors have supported this evacuation. After profiling, identification and documentation, the returnees will be handed over to their state governors.

     

  • French foreign minister visits Libya ahead of new U.N. peace talks

    French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Thursday visited Libya to give stalled U.N. talks a new push, saying Libya’s rival factions should stick to a United Nations peace process and prepare for elections in spring 2018.

    The North African country has two rival governments, one in the east and a U.N.-backed administration in the capital Tripoli in the west, in a conflict stemming from the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

    France was a leading player in the NATO intervention against Gaddafi, sending warplanes to bomb his forces.

    The United Nations launched a new round of talks in September in Tunis between the rival factions to prepare for presidential and parliamentary elections in 2018, but they broke off after one month.

    “I noted the desire from the Prime Minister (Fayez al-Seraj) to stick to the calendar. We have a total convergence of views to implement this agenda,” Le Drian said after meeting the Tripoli-based prime minister in the Libyan capital.

    Drian will later fly to the eastern city of Benghazi to meet the powerful eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar, who on Sunday called the U.N.-backed government and peace process obsolete.

    The U.N. talks had stumbled over the question of what role Haftar should play. He indicated on Sunday he wants to run as presidential candidate.

    Haftar remains popular among Libyans in the east who are weary of the chaos, but faces opposition in western Libya.

    The eastern-based House of Representatives on Tuesday widened divisions between east and west by approving a new central bank governor. The bank’s Tripoli headquarters and U.N. rejected the move.

    Le Drian said a political deal would help solve crisis of thousands of illegal migrants stuck in detention centers in Libya where human rights groups said they often face abuse.

    Libyan officials deny this but say they are overwhelmed with a flood of migrants.

    Libya is to main departure point for illegal migrants heading for Europe by boat.

     

    Reuters

  • More than 25,000 Nigerians held in slave and sex camps Lybia in 2017-NAPTIP boss

    The Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons(NAPTIP), Julie Okah-Donli, has disclosed that more than 25,000 Nigerians have been held in slave and sex camps in Lybia.
    Okah-Donli made this known while defending the agency’s 2018 budget before the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters on Tuesday.
    She said of the figure, about 5000 of the victims were repatriated within the period.
    ”A large number of Nigerians have also been returned from other countries in Europe and Africa.
    ”All these people need to be properly received, profiled and assisted.
    ”NAPTIP has been working in conjunction with other governmental and non governmental agencies such as NEMA, International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and others to provide help to these unfortunate Nigerians,”she said.
    She lamented that in spite of the evils of human trafficking not so much attention was focused on the menace.
    She said the recent trend which marked the resurgence of slave trade was more alarming and required the attention it deserved.
    According to her, the task before the agency is enormous while budgetary allocations have been comparatively low.
    ”It is my honour and privilege to raise a cry for help in this hallowed chamber on behalf of the most vulnerable members of the society, especially women and children.
    ”In recent months the odious and perverse consequences of human trafficking and irregular migration were forcefully brought to our television screens with gory tales,”she said.
    She said if human trafficking was to be reduced or eliminated, massive public awareness as well as behavourial change campaigns must be sustained from the grassroots to the national level.
    The NAPTIP boss further said many victims of trafficking needed to undergo skills acquisition training or formal education.
    The NAPTIP bossm however, commended the Federal Government and other stakeholders for their support in the wake of recent slave trade of Africans.
    ”I wish to place on record my deep appreciation to President Muhammad Buhari for consistently putting the issue of human trafficking at the centre of global discourse at various international for a.
    ”In the aftermath of the recent crisis stemming from the inhuman treatment of Nigerians in Libya and elsewhere, both the Presidency and National Assembly came out strongly with statements band actions to to strengthen national response to irregular migration, ”she said.(
  • Another batch of 167 Nigerians voluntarily return from Libya

    Another batch of 167 Nigerians voluntarily return from Libya

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) yesterday received 167 stranded Nigerians from Libya, bringing the number of Nigerians brought back to the country in the last four days to 532.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Boeing 737-800 aircraft, marked 5A-DMH, arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at 7:47p.m.

    The returnees were brought back by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the European Union (EU).

    They comprised of 21 women, 145 men and a child.

    NEMA’s Director-General Mustapha Maihajja, who received the returnees confirmed that three of them had medical cases and were promptly given treatment by doctors and paramedics.

    Maihajja, who was represented by the Southwest Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, Suleiman Yakubu, said two of the returnees were now in stable condition, while the third person had been referred to hospital for further treatment.

    He advised the returnees to acquire vocational skills or further their education to contribute their quota to national development.

    Also on hand to receive the returnees were officials of Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Police.

     

  • Gaddafi’s second son to declare interest for Libyan presidency

    Saif Gaddafi, the second son of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi will announce in coming days his intention to run for president of Libya, the family’s spokesman, Basem Hashimi Soul, told Sputnik Monday.

    On Wednesday, the Libyan Government of National Accord’s (GNA) foreign minister, Mohamed Siala, said that presidential election in Libya might be held in mid-2018.

    “Saif will soon announce the nomination of his own candidacy for the election in Libya, this is already a settled issue, no discussions about this are being conducted.

    “He will announce this on TV and all the media. He will decide on the date of the announcement in the next few days,” the spokesman said.

    TheNewsGuru reports the civil war’s aftermath and proliferation of armed groups led to violence and instability across the country, which erupted into renewed civil war in 2014.

    The ongoing crisis in Libya has so far resulted in tens of thousands of casualties since the onset of violence in early 2011.

  • 1,317 Nigerians voluntarily return from Libya in 10 days – NEMA

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says a total of 1,317 Nigerians have voluntarily returned from Libya in the last 10 days having been stranded in the volatile country enroute Europe.

    The Director-General of NEMA, Mustapha Maihajja, made the disclosure while receiving a fresh batch of 116 Nigerians who arrived the country on Friday morning.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the new set of returnees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos aboard a Buraq Airlines with Registration Number 5A-WAC at about 5.39 a.m.

    NAN reports that no fewer than 3,000 Nigerians have voluntarily returned from Libya through the IOM supported programme in the last few months.

    Mr. Maihajja, represented by Suleiman Yakubu, the South-West Zonal Coordinator, said the Nigerians returned in various batches between Dec.5 and Dec.15 with the assistance of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the European Union (EU).

    According to him, the figure has already surpassed the 1, 295 Nigerians who voluntarily returned from Libya in the month of November.

    Mr. Maihajja said that the Federal Government would continue to work with the international organisations to ensure the return of more Nigerians from Libya where they had been facing severe hardships and rights violations.

    They comprised 46 adult females, 60 adult males and 10 children and infants respectively.

    Also, on ground to welcome the returnees were officials of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Police.

     

    NAN

  • 249 more Nigerians back from Libya

    The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the European Union (EU) on Thursday facilitated the return of 249 more Nigerians from Libya.

    TheNewsGuru reports that the returnees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at about 9.47pm aboard an Afriqiyah Airbus A330-300 with Registration Number 5A-ONR.

    They were received by the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Mustapha Maihajja.

    Maihajja, who was represented by the South West Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, Alhaji Suleiman Yakubu, implored the returnees to be champions of positive change by supporting the campaign against irregular migration.

    He said they should be able to enlighten other Nigerian youths on the dangers of seeking greener pastures outside the country through illegal means based on their experiences in Libya.

    “You should let them know that you are always second citizens outside your country and your rights can be violated without opportunity for you to seek redress at all,” Maihajja said.

    No fewer than 3,000 Nigerians have voluntarily returned from Libya through the IOM supported programme in the last few months.

    TNG reports that 387 had, on Tuesday, returned from the volatile North African country where they had been stranded enroute Europe.

    Many return with gory tales of their experiences in the country.

    As at the time of filing this report, another batch of Nigerians was being expected from Libya, as their aircraft was said to be on the way from Tripoli.