NEMA receives 180 Nigerians from Libya, including 37 children and infants
- NEMA said 180 Nigerians arrived in Lagos from Sebha, Libya, on Tuesday afternoon.
- The group included 143 adults, 26 children and 11 infants, the agency said.
- The return was under a voluntary programme run by IOM with the Federal Government.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has received 180 Nigerians who returned from Sebha, Libya, the agency said in a statement on Tuesday.
The returnees landed at the Cargo Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, at about 4:20 pm on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, aboard an Air Buraq Airlines flight with registration number 5A-BAE.
NEMA said the return was under the Assisted Voluntary Return Programme, coordinated by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) together with the Federal Government.
The group was made up of 143 adults — 75 men and 68 women — 26 children (12 boys and 14 girls) and 11 infants (three boys and eight girls). In all, 37 of the returnees were children or infants.
What the returnees received
On arrival, officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service took their biometrics and documented them, NEMA said. The agency said this was to confirm their identities, keep proper records and make it easier to support them as they settle back home.
The returnees were given food, drinking water and medical screening. Ambulances stood by for anyone who needed treatment, and officials also helped with luggage, counselling and moving them onward.
NEMA's Lagos Operations Office handled the reception with the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI). The agency said the exercise brought several government agencies and partners together so the returnees could arrive safely and with dignity.
Reintegration support was also provided to help them return to their various communities.
Why it matters
Thousands of Nigerians have made the dangerous journey through Libya in search of work in Europe, and many get stranded there. Voluntary returns like this one bring people home without the risks of detention or the Mediterranean crossing.
For families waiting in Nigeria, the arrival means a loved one is back. But the harder part often comes after landing: finding work, a place to stay and money to restart. The reintegration help NEMA mentioned is meant to cover that gap, though the agency did not say how much support each person will get or for how long.
NEMA did not say when the next batch of returnees is expected, or how many Nigerians are still waiting in Libya to come home.
