Yobe Govt reunites 216 Libya returnees with families

The Yobe Government on Saturday reunited additional 216 persons repatriated from Libya with their families in the state.

Alhaji Ahmed Goniri, the state Commissioner for Justice and Chairman of Repatriation Committee, said this while handing over the deportees to their respective local council chairmen in Damaturu.

He said 182 out of the 216 persons were indigenes of the state, while 33 others were from Niger Republic and one from Borno.

“They initially claimed to be from Yobe state but on profiling, we realised that 33 were from border communities in Niger Republic while one was from Borno.

“We have now handed over the Nigeriens to the state Controller of Immigration for onward repatriation to their country,” he said.

The commissioner lauded Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam for his speedy approval to evacuate the returnees.

Alhaji Musa Jidawa, the Permanent Secretary, State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), said the evacuation of the returnees has given the deportees and their families a sense of belonging.

He said the deportees were screened by relevant security agencies, medical personnel and humanitarian organisations.

“We have put a technical mechanism in place to effectively monitor the delivery of the deportees to their communities,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that 29 persons were earlier deported from Libya and repatriated to the state last week.

Malam Abba Modu, one of the deportees, commended the Yobe government for moving them from Port Harcourt to the state.

“Gov. Gaidam acted like a true father to all of us by repatriating us back home,” Modu said.

Written by 

Leave a Reply