LIBYA: "out of the 79 returnees, 70 are indigenes of Edo State

23 Days in the Desert, More Nigerians Return from Libya with Woeful Tales

Posted By Planet

On October 31st, 2011 08:32 AM | News

For 23 days and 23 nights, another set of 79 Nigerians sojourned through the desert, in search of their way to Nigeria. It was all a tale of woes and misery as they arrived Nigeria, drained, dirty and barely able to even narrate their ordeal.
Before them, some 450 other Nigerians had arrived last week, after spending over 30 days traversing the desert as they fled from the rapacious rebels, many of whom robbed and raped them.
But their troubles may not quite be over as the transit camp being arranged for them by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) may be coming under intense pressure given the swell in number of persons having to now use the facilities.
The agency was Sunday saddled with the responsibility of providing succour for another batch of 79 returnees from the former enclave of Muammar Gaddafi, even as another set of 300 returnees are yet to cross the desert on their way to their fatherland.
The NEMA Zonal Coordinator in charge of North-east, Aliyu Sambo Bafale, told journalists in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital that the returnees were brought to the Nigerian borders from Chad Republic by the United Nations supported International Organisation for Immigration (IOM).
“We have 79 of them in this batch who were brought into country by the IOM to the Nigerian border town of Gamboru-Ngala where we received them and we brought them into Maiduguri where we offloaded them into the vehicles that will take them to their respective states,” said the NEMA Zonal Coordinator.

He said further that out of the 79 returnees, 70 are indigenes of Edo State, “and that makes the deployment very easy as those going to Edo State will be conveyed to Benin. From there, they can find their ways easily to their respective homes”.

One of the returnees, Paddy Irete, a student of Civil Engineering at the Auchi Polytechnic, Edo State who abandoned his HND programme mid-way in search of better living opportunity to Libya early last year, said many Nigerians and black Africans were principal targets of the “Asma Boys”, a bye-word for the Libyan anti-Gaddafi rebels who killed, and robbed them.

Explaining the possible reason why the rebels targeted Nigerians and other black Africans, Irete said: “The Asma boys believed Baba (Gaddafi) liked the blacks in Libya and he may have used them to boost his supporting army. So anywhere they see us, they harassed us. At times, they even forcefully asked the blacks to go and rob stores for them; if you refuse, you are in for their trouble.”

An Ekiti State-born pharmacist, Mrs. Suleiman, who was seen carrying her one and a half year old daughter, Bilkisu, a citizen of Libya, told journalists that some of their fellow returnees died on the way.
“One young man was buried by the dunes of Sahara on their way from Libya to Ndjamena,” Suleiman said.
Though she appeared to be pregnant, Suleiman said many ladies who were also in the journey had lost their pregnancies due to the fatigue and rigours of the 23 days journey through the desert.
She lamented the harrowing experience they had to go through in order to escape from the mayhem which Libya had become for them. She said that the torture and suffering was much, adding that many who could not withstand the strain of the odyssey, either gave up on the trip or decided to face whatever repercussions awaited them if they had to remain in Libya.
According to her, it was worse that there was no provision of medication or victuals during the sojourn. And that was why some of those who took ill could not be treated.
Earlier, the batch of 450 returnees which returned last week had had similar tales of torture and stress on their 30-day journey through the desert.
Hear them: Splendid Eze, who claimed that she had been in Libya since the last four years, said at the peak of the revolution, she had to take refuge at the UN camp in Saba, Libya for two months.
Eze said she was repatriated alongside 450 others from the camp on 28 September and they were made to take the long and tortuous journey through the desert.
She said before leaving the camp at Saba, they faced various hazardous situations including sleeping in the open and getting hit by bullets from the warring factions.
According to her, they did not fare better on the journey back home as they “were robbed and raped by the rebels”.
She said: “I was robbed of my US$1000 and some of those in my company were robbed of their valuables including laptops and handsets.”
Another returnee, Obire Matthew Tony, said they were packed in a truck like sardines and sent on the long and tortuous journey through the desert to Nigeria.
He revealed that they had a stopover for three days in Ndjamena where they were accommodated by the IOM and subsequently sent to Nigeria by the organisation.
He alleged that the Nigerian ambassador to Chad avoided them like a plague and at no time came to their assistance.
The IOM Security Attaché Allabouladje Roland, who accompanied the returnees to Maiduguri, said about 18 of them fell sick on the way and the officials of NEMA also revealed that those that came back ill had all been treated and were to embark on the over 1,000km journey to Edo State.

Redfactor says; its time we make Edo state great again. Everyone is involved.
NB; A lot of our brothers and sisters died in these countries. RIP.