Lagos — A civil society group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has appealed to President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to intervene in the plight of returnee Nigerians from Libya by putting in place machineries that will reintegrate them into the society.

The Nigerians were allowed to come back following a provisional order issued recently by the African Commission (AC) on Human and Peoples' Rights in Banjul compelling the Libyan government to suspend their execution in that country.

The AC's order was in response to a petition filed by SERAP with the Commission in September.

The appeal to President Yar'Adua followed a letter of "appreciation and assistance" sent to SERAP by Vitalis Onuoma and Ugochukwu Onuoma on behalf of the returnees from Libya.

In the letter dated October 23, 2009 and addressed to SERAP's solicitor, Mr. Femi Falana, the returnees said: "We thank and appreciate you and the entire members of SERAP for the efforts put in place to repatriate us back to Nigeria. We were on death row in Libyan prison with all hope lost, neglected by the Nigerian embassy and the ministry in charge."

According to them, "Your intervention was our saving grace, and the hope that you have brought back for over 1000 Nigerians serving different jail terms and death penalty in Libya and some of whom are now repatriated is laudable. We now seek your further assistance for our situation as we are back in Nigeria broke, homeless and devastated. We beg you to come to our aid to ensure that we are rejuvenated back to the society."

In response, SERAP through Falana sent an appeal dated November 8, 2009 to President Yar'Adua. In the letter of appeal, the body argued that these returnees from Libya and other Nigerian citizens that are frequently returned home continue to face very difficult conditions.

It noted that there was no concrete and effective system in place to re-integrate them into the society, adding that many of these Nigerians had left the country due to lack of economic and other opportunities at home.

Falana also said: "I had a chance recently to meet with some of the Nigerians who just returned from Libya and can confirm that their living conditions are extremely poor. They are unemployed and have inadequate access to housing and other basic necessities of life.

"Many returnees have nowhere to go, and merely surviving on limited support from their families and communities. Lack of government support for this category of vulnerable group compounds their situation and exposes them to insecurity and exploitation.

"Every citizen has a right of return to his/her country in conditions of security, dignity and justice. Nigeria has a legal and moral responsibility not only to re-admit its own citizens but also to ensure proper conditions for their reintegration, safety and respect for their human dignity. Nigeria also has a responsibility to improve the economic and social conditions that contributed to mass migration of Nigerians in the first place."

The organization therefore asked the President to use his "good offices and leadership position" to urgently attend to the situation of the returnees from Libya; and to ensure the elaboration and effective implementation of policies for the re-integration and empowerment of all Nigerians forced to return home for whatever reasons.

The House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora, headed by Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, had called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to intervene on the predicament of the Nigerians who were held in various prisons in the country.

Dabiri-Erewa had said it was the duty of the Nigerian government to guarantee the security of its citizens irrespective of any part of the world they reside.

She had commended the efforts of SERAP, saying: "We commend the efforts of SERAP and the historical decision by the African Commission to order for the suspension of the impending execution of those Nigerians. We are very happy. And as a responsible parliament, we will continue to champion the cause for the comfort and peace of Nigerians. We respect foreigners in Nigeria and therefore our citizens should be accorded similar treatment in other parts of the world."