Over 320 Nigerians stranded in Libya have been successfully rescued, with the International Organization for Migration taking the lead in facilitating their safe return to Nigeria. 

Libya, mired in conflict, has emerged as a significant starting point on North Africa’s Mediterranean shoreline for migrants, predominantly hailing from various parts of Africa. These individuals embark on perilous sea journeys in the aspirations of reaching Europe. 

According to AFP, rival administrations in Libya reached an agreement last year to establish an anti-immigration entity based in Tripoli, entrusted with coordinating the deportation of foreigners residing in the country unlawfully.

“We carried out on Tuesday the expulsion of 163 irregular migrants of Nigerian nationality from the Mitiga airport, including 107 women, 51 men and five children,” Libya migration agency’s head of security, Mohamad Baredaa, told AFP.

In a move coordinated with the IOM, Baredaa added that “160 Nigerians will be sent back to their country from Benina airport in Benghazi” later on Tuesday.

An AFP journalist witnessed the initial batch at Tripoli’s Mitiga airport early on Tuesday, where they received laissez-passer documents before boarding shuttles to the aircraft. 

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that there are over 700,000 migrants in Libya. 

Despite the tightening of immigration policies in foreign nations such as the United Kingdom, a significant number of Nigerians are in a rush to depart the country, driven by the “Japa” trend and worsening economic conditions amidst the devaluation of the naira.