THE International Organisation for Migration has said it assisted in bringing back 21,500 stranded Nigerians from Libya, Mali, among others, in the last four years.

The Programme Manager, IOM, Nigeria, Saskia Kok, noted that about 60 per cent of the returnees were males, and 40 per cent were females.

Kok stated this on Thursday during the inauguration of a male shelter and reintegration centre in the Ayobo area of Lagos State.

The shelter, an initiative of Patriotic Citizens Initiatives with support from the IOM through the United Kingdom Government Home Office, will accommodate about 40 returnees at a time and serve as a training ground for reintegration.

Kok said the IOM would continue to support efforts geared at the re-integration of returnees.

She said, “We work strongly with the Federal Government and state governments to manage migration in a sustainable manner. In fact, over the past four years, we have returned more than 21,500 migrants from all over the Central Mediterranean, including Libya, Mali.

“We have about 60 per cent of the figure as males, and 40 per cent as females. This year alone, we have returned over 1,000 people. But COVID has had a significant impact because many countries are closing their borders.”

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The Programme Director, Patriotic Citizens Initiatives, Osita Osemene, expressed sadness that the government was not taking the issue of human trafficking seriously, adding that it was the reason the problem had continued to fester.

Osimene, who was once a victim, said the shelter was to support male victims, who appeared to have been neglected despite facing dehumanisation and torture.

“I returned to Nigeria after being trafficked as well and I decided to do something. I was about to cross the Mediterranean Sea when I returned. If I was properly enlightened, I would not have gone in the first place.

“When I returned, I left my family for one year and went through self re-integration. I vowed to help others by offering them psychosocial counselling, vocational training, mentorship, among others,” he added.