Over 100 Nigerian migrants deported from Libya

TRIPOLI, Libya

Libyan authorities deported over a hundred Nigerians back home on Tuesday (June 20). The female migrants who voluntarily chose to return to Nigeria left the deportation office in the capital Tripoli.

A spokesman for the Libya Anti-Illegal Immigration department details the conditions under which the women who did not have a legal right to reside in the north African nation were arrested.

“Today, Tuesday, June 20, 2023, illegal immigrants of Nigerian nationality are being deported. Some of them were arrested on public roads while practicing begging."

The deportation was supervised by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), as part of an ongoing joint program with the Libyan government to deport illegal migrants.

Libya is a major starting point for migrants who wish to cross the Mediterranean to Europe in search of a better life.

"About 165 illegal immigrants were deported today, in coordination with their embassy. There will be another flight next week to deport other Nigerian immigrants. Work will continue on the deportation operations."

IOM Libya’s Displacement Tracking Matrix programme identified a total of 706,062 migrants from over 44 nationalities in the 100 Libyan municipalities during its (January - February 2023) round of data collection.

Nigerian nationals were among the top five nationalities which included Nigeriens, Egyptians, Sudanese and Chadians.