Evacuation Of Libya Returnees From P H, Major Challenge – NEMA

Following the arrival of 560 Nigerians from Libya last Sunday night at Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has described the evacuation of returnees and logistics, such as feeding as its major challenges.
Zonal Coordinator, NEMA South-South, Mr Ejike Martins disclosed this to The Tide during an interview at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, last Monday.
Martins, who doubled as the Head of Operations, Libya Returnees in the airport, also confirmed that a total of 560 Nigerians including pregnant women, children and adults arrived the airport last Sunday night at about 11.52pm,
He said that, “Non-regular evacuation of returnees by states and individuals to their respective states is making the work of the agency difficult and appealed to state governments to come to the camp and identify and evacuate their returnees.
“In the high intensity operations like this we have many challenges, evacuation, of old and new batches poses a serious problem to the agency”, Martins added
He said, “NEMA is working round the clock to ensure that all the returnees are evacuated to their respective states and homes.”
According to the NEMA boss, ‘Federal Government gave a directive that each returnee should stay a maximum of 48 hours in the camp,
“The returnees are desirous of uniting with their families and loved ones as some of them had been in detention in Libya,” he said.
The coordinator stated that the agency had received three batches of returnees from Libya with the first batch having a total of 486 Nigerians, second batch 464 and the third batch with 560 returnees.
According to him, “Edo State is topping the list of returnees from Libya followed by Yobe State”.
On security of lives and property of the returnees in the camp, Martins said, the police and other sister security agencies have been supportive in securing the lives of those Nigerians from Libya to the country.
It would be recalled that 560 Nigerians arrived Port Harcourt Airport last Sunday night, and were documented by the authorities of NEMA, police and other security outfits at about 9am last Monday
Meanwhile, it is now clear that a total of 5,037 Nigerian deportees from Libya are expected to arrive the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, in ten batches.

Chinedu Wosu & Corlins Walter