No fewer than 122 stranded Nigerian in Libya have been evacuated.

The 122 evacuees consisted of 52 males, 39 females (seven of whom were rescued victims of human trafficking), 21 children as well as 10 infants.

This brings to about 1,350 stranded Nigerians that have been assisted to return home in 2024 alone.

No fewer than 2,041 stranded Nigerian migrants were assisted to return home by the IOM in 2023.

The evacuees departed around 1.30pm, Libyan local time from Mitiga International Airport aboard chartered flight. They are expected at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos by 5 pm.

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According to official sources, Tuesday’s evacuation, conducted in collaboration with the IOM in Libya as part of its Voluntary Humanitarian Repatriation (VHR) programme,was the ninth carried out by the Nigerian Mission in the country this year.

Speaking in Tripoli, Libya, during the evacuation, Nigeria’s newly-posted Charge’ d’Affaires en-titre to Libya, Amb. Mohammed Mohammed urged Nigerians to shun irregular migrations to foreign lands.

Mohammed warned that most of such irregular migrations usually end up in slavery and sexual exploitations in Europe.

The envoy said that migrations that follow due process are allowed, but advised Nigerians to always ponder well before embarking on the risk of the ill-advised journey across the desert.