Returnees relive journey of pain in Libya

Posted by admin Africa & World Politics, Headlines Monday, September 26th, 2011

FOR three weeks they wandered in the desert and their destination was Nigeria. At last, they arrived in their motherland, which they left years ago in search of the greener pasture.

But the joy of these over 100 Nigerians, who escaped from the war-torn Libya and arrived safely in their country to reunite with their families or kinsmen, was short-lived at the weekend.

The Kaduna Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), which classified them as security risks at least for now, promptly took them to its Zonal Office in Kaduna for proper check and documentation.

Sources said the returnees are suspected to be mercenaries of ousted Libyan leader, Col. Muammar Gaddafi and therefore must be subjected to detailed security check before being allowed to join the civil populace.

The suspects, who arrived in Kaduna through the Niger-Nigeria border at 2.00 p.m. on Friday, were exhausted and unkempt. They were made to file through well-kitted armed personnel at the NIS zonal office in the state.

The returnees were also forced to sit on the floor in front of the office of the NIS Zonal Comptroller under the watchful eyes of armed men while the documentation went on.

Some of the returnees with their family members, who included children, were particularly worried by the health challenges of their kids having been exposed to weather hazards in the desert. They were later conveyed in two luxury buses marked Imo XA 415TTK belonging to Mbanefo Motors Nigeria Limited and the other Anambra XH830 NSH, owned by Zion Motors Nigeria to an undisclosed destination.

Journalists who waited for over five hours (3.00 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.) for official confirmation from the NIS were told by the returnees that they have been wandering in the desert for the past three weeks before they were apprehended by the Immigration officials at the Niger-Nigeria border.

“We left Libya about three weeks ago wandering in the desert before our arrest and subsequent conveyance here (Kaduna) from the Niger-Nigeria border,” one of them said.

The NIS zonal comptroller declined to speak with journalists, who waited for him for almost five hours in the zonal office.

A source however said the NIS command needs clearance from Abuja and also to liaise with other security agencies, “such as the State Security Service (SSS), the Police and Nigerian Army before speaking with the press on the issue.

“We are yet to ascertain whether they are Gaddafi’s fighters but we know they are Nigerians from Libya. They came in through Niger-Nigeria border. As I am talking with you, another set are at the Kaduna toll-gate.

“What we want to do now is to keep them in our custody and await directives from the government on the next step to take. We don’t have money, certainly, the state will cater for them until further directives.”

The NIS official added that “high level security meeting was being held at the Government House and our zonal comptroller has gone there.”

Recently, a Spanish-based broadcast media, Hamada Radio International monitored in Kaduna, reported that some members of the Gaddafi regime had crossed over to some parts of northern Nigeria.

It also claimed that over 200 Nigerians were arrested in Libya by the National Transitional Council (NTC) while another 20 were allegedly executed for supporting Gaddafi as mercenaries.

The report also said some members of the old Libyan regime were heading towards Burkina-Faso and Katsina State.

-Guardianwp_posts