5,000 Nigerians trapped in Libyan detention camps –Envoy

                                                         Slave

The Federal Government has identified 5,000 more Nigerians trapped in Libyan detention camps.

The Charge d’Affaires of Nigeria in Libya, Illiya Fachano, told the News Agency of Nigeria “there is a camp with 5,000 Nigerians and we need the diplomatic police to escort us, to extract them.

“There are various camps in the regions of South, West and East of Libya.

“The United Nations-backed Libyan Government is in the western region which is where Tripoli is.

“Camps in the other regions are known but inaccessible camps due to the challenges of going into these camps as a communication chain is required before we can reach them,” he said.

He also added that the Nigerian government has been in talks with the recognised government in Tripoli, on how to reach some of the camps to extract its nationals.

Fachano also called for the provision of a bigger aircraft to evacuate Nigerians who have agreed to come back home.

“We need the Nigerian government to better fund its embassy in Libya and send the aircraft. We have made our request for that.”

He called on the UN to help out by sponsoring repatriation flights, provide food and health materials for the migrants.

He said the federal government has, so far, repatriated 3,250 from Libya, in recent times.

This is even as 300 other Nigerians are to be repatriated from Libya every week.

Fachano said the government would continue to make efforts to save Nigerians that are trapped in Libya.

“We, the embassy of Nigeria in Tripoli, Libya, have been doing our best to register Nigerians. We have visited the detention camps, and also, collaborated with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to repatriate migrants weekly…”