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4th batch of 465 Nigerian returnees arrive Port Harcourt

By NAN
02 February 2018   |   9:09 am
The fourth batch of 465 Nigerian returnees from Libya have arrived Port Harcourt, Mr Martins Ejike, South-South Zonal Coordinator, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said. Ejike who received the returnees on Friday, told news that they arrived Port Harcourt International Airport at about 12.25 a.m. on board Max Air. Ejike told newsmen that the evacuation…

Max Airplane. Photo: Maxair

The fourth batch of 465 Nigerian returnees from Libya have arrived Port Harcourt, Mr Martins Ejike, South-South Zonal Coordinator, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said.

Ejike who received the returnees on Friday, told news that they arrived Port Harcourt International Airport at about 12.25 a.m. on board Max Air.

Ejike told newsmen that the evacuation of Nigerian’s stranded in Lybia had been a huge success in spite of some challenges and hitches met at Lybia during the negotiations of the evacuations.

He said that Federal government had put every mechanism in place to fast track the evacuation of the returnees.

The Coordinator said that every process needed for the evacuation was taking place step by step.

He expressed joy over the response of States in picking up their indegens at the evacuation center after the complain of dissatisfaction over not picking their indigenes on time.

“I am happy that the last set of returnees at the centre were all taken back to there various states on Jan. 15,” he said.

He said the agency would contact state governors of the returnees, for prompi evacuation from the Port Harcourt centre.

Also, Mr Muhammad Dahiru, the Public relations Officer Max Air said that the evacuation of the returnees from Libya, was hitch free.

“Actually we did not have any security challenges in Lybia. “We landed in Lybia about 7.30 and spent only one hour 30 minutes before we took off from there back to Nigeria,” Dahiru said.

He said that so far, 1,955 returnees have been brought back to Nigeria by Max Air out of the 3,138 expected to be brought back to Nigeria through Max Air.

“I can assure you that we can bring all the returnees back to Nigeria within 48 hours if we are invited to come and carry them, “Dahiru said.

Osita John, one of the returnees thanked the Federal Government for rescuing them and fufilling her promise of bringing them back home.

John said that his experience in Lybia was horrible and unforgettable. He advised Nigeria youths who are nursing the idea of travelling out of the country through illegal means to drop it.

John called on Federal government to continue with the evacuation to save many youths that were still in different prisons in Lybia.

“There is no place like home but I beg our leaders to make Nigeria a better place for us the youths live,” he said.

NAN reports that the federal government has identified 5,000 Nigerians currently trapped in Libyan detention camps.

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