By Dele Ogbodo
The federal government on Wednesday sent a man special delegation to Tripoli, the Libyan Capital on a facts finding mission
with the aim of mass evacuating Nigerians that are being enslaved in that country.
Mr. Josiah Emerole, the Head, Press and Publicity of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), in a statement said the delegation which is led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, included the Director-General of NAPTIP, Dame Julie Okah-Donli, and the Senior Special Assistant to the President of Diaspora Matters, Mrs. AbikeDabiri Erewa.
The fact finding mission, the statement said will engage with the Libyan Authorities, Nigerian officials and citizens living in Libya as well as International organisations working on migration issues in Libya.
It will be recalled that following reports of the enslavement of Nigerian Migrants in Libya which has raised a lot of concerns in the country, President Muhammadu Buhari ord
He also set up team led by the Foreign Affairs Minister to work out modalities for carrying out the mass evacuation. Since then, a number of high level meetings have been held amongst various Federal Government Agencies. Vice President Yemi Osibanjo has also presided over some of those meetings.
For the NAPTIP DG, Dame Julie Okah-Donli, the agency is ready to assist victims of human trafficking who will be amongst those returning to Nigeria to get properly reintegrated back into the Nigerian Society.
’’Our Counsellors are fully ready to receive the returnees and give them the needed psychosocial Assistance
“This will be done with assistance from Government, Corporate bodies and the international organisations. This is not the time for anybody to stand aloof and watch the Federal Government alone do it. All hands must be on deck now, because doing nothing will affect all of us.” She said.