Up to 70% of Libya returnees are from Edo state - Comrade Solomon Okuoduwa

Up to 70% of Libya returnees are from Edo state-  Comrade Solomon Okoduwa 

Comrade Solomon Okoduwa, a member of the Edo state task force on Libya returnees, has stated that Edo state indigenes make up 70% of Nigerians being repatriated from Libya.

 Okoduwa told the Tribune that some of the female victims, who were recently evacuated from Libya are said to be pregnant after being violated by their captors while in detention in Libya.



 He said the victims were subjected to dehumanising experience by their captors. The task-force member disclosed that 560 Nigerians are expected to be repatriated into the country from Libya this week. According to him, about 780 indigenes of Edo state who returned from Libya were brought to the state upon their arrival at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos.

Okoduwa called on local and international organisation to assist the government in rehabilitating the Libya returnees, saying the Edo state government for now was solely responsible for the rehabilitation and training of the returnees. He said: “Apart from taking care of the returnees from the moment they land in Lagos, Edo State government pays children returnees N10,000; adults get N20, 000, while pregnant women get N25,000 each within the first three months of their arrival.


 “We also provide accommodation, medicare, training and other important needs while they are with us.” Meanwhile, no fewer than 650 Libyan deportees returned to Edo state over the past three months and the tales of their sojourn in the north African country, where they had planned to cross the Mediterranean sea to Italy, was heart-breaking.

 Vanguard reports that 168 of them returned to Benin–City on Wednesday, November 29, while 108 arrived Friday, December 1. They were received by officials of Edo state Task Force Against Human Trafficking. NAIJ.com gathered that some of the women were pregnant and emaciated just like the men who said they were used as slaves.

MainWhile The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has approved 150 hectares of land and N100million seed capital for the Libyan returnees and victims of human trafficking, who will complete a skill acquisition training at the Edo Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) office in Benin City, the Edo State capital.

Governor Obaseki, who made the announcement on Saturday, directed the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources to immediately liaise with the relevant authorities towards securing the land for the returnees to commence agribusinesses.

According to the Governor, the returnees will be organised into cooperatives under the supervision of the Benin Owena River Basin Authority and the Edo Agricultural Development Programme (ADP).