NEMA receives 128 stranded returnees

• NAPTIP partners Tony Elumelu Foundation to fight human trafficking

The Nigerian Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has received a batch of 128 stranded Nigerians who voluntarily decided to come back to the country. Their return were facilitated by the International Organisation for Migration and handed over to NEMA at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos State.

The plane, with flight number BURAQ 189 & REG NO 5A ONA touched down at 5:40p.m. yesterday. Breakdown of the returnees are 125 males and two females. This included six medical cases with the two females and four males.

Receiving the returnees on behalf of the Federal Government, the Director-General, Mustapha Maihajja, who was represented by the Southwest Zonal Coordinator, Alh. Suleiman Yakubu, admonished youths to desist from seeking greener pastures in foreign lands without following proper immigration procedures because they would continue to be less human and may suffer numerous denials entering foreign lands illegally.

Meanwhile, in a bid to tackle the menace of human trafficking headlong, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) yesterday partnered the chairman of Heir Holdings, Tony Elumelu.

The Director-General of NAPTIP, Julie Okah-Donli, who said this during a courtesy visit to Elumelu, also said 540 Nigerian deportees from Libya will arrive Lagos this month.

Giving a breakdown of the ills of human trafficking and its effects on the society, she said out of the 540 to be deported, the first batch of 180 would arrive Lagos today.

“This year alone, over 2,000 Nigerians have been deported from Libya alone. We are expecting the deportation of 540 Nigerians from Libya in three batches this August. The first batch of 180 will arrive Lagos tonight. However, we can no longer wait for government alone to do this, hence the visit to seek support for the agency and for the empowerment of the victims.”

In his speech, Elumelu expressed delight at the elevation of Okah-Donli to head the agency, adding that she was once a product of the United Bank for Africa (UBA). “We support what you are doing and we stand behind you. The Tony Elumelu Foundation believes in the empowerment of our youths and they cannot be empowered if they are not free. We stand with you in eradicating human trafficking in Nigeria. We all engage more with you as you try to restore dignity to mankind and make sure our youths have self-dignity and no one can take undue advantage of them.” Also, the Group Chief Executive Officer, United Capital PLC, Oluwatoyin Sanmi, joined the campaign in condemning human trafficking.