Leadership (Abuja)
Emmanuel Iffer
14 May 2008
Abuja — Barring any last-minute change, at exactly 3pm today, 314 Nigerian deportees will arrive the country from Libya today.
According to information obtained by LEADERSHIP last night in Abuja, the deportees would be arriving Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, aboard Afriqiyah Airways flight MD83, SU-BME and AAW7902/7903 at 0300 hours Nigerian local time.
The information also indicated that the flight was to depart Sebha, Libya, yesterday at exactly 2300 hours Libyan local time, with the deportees aboard.
This followed a rigorous screening exercise conducted by the Nigerian embassy in Tripoli, the Libyan capital, to ensure that only true Nigerians are deported. This follows past experience where non-Nigerians were deported into the country.
LEADERSHIP also learnt that after the screening, officials of the Nigerian mission in Libya have issued the deportees with emergency travel certificates, and have equally, as at last night, obtained landing permit for the Libyan airliner from the relevant authorities.
Already an inter-ministerial committee, comprising of officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Immigration, Prison Services and other security organisations, is on ground to receive the deportees.
Many of the deportees are said to be serving various jail terms in Libya, which is why officials of the Nigerian Prisons Service are involved in receiving the deportees.
The minister of foreign affairs, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, had the previous day informed journalists that the country was ready to receive the deportees, but could not give the exact number.
He also said that the country's mission in Tripoli was doing all it can to ensure that only Nigerian citizens were deported back to the country, as there has been cases of deporting non-Nigerians who later obtained the country's national passport and used it for some criminal activities.
Libya, like many North African countries, has been an attractive region for illegal African immigrants, with the hope of travelling to Europe, owing to its proximity to Europe.
Many other Nigerian immigrants are accused of engaging in prostitution and many other illegal activities in Libya.
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is a sad news but what will there life be when the are out from control is wahala to niger