Libyan authorities have deported 80 Nigerian nationals detained in various holding facilities across the country, as part of ongoing efforts to manage irregular migration and reduce congestion in detention centres.
The repatriation exercise, conducted on Wednesday through Mitiga International Airport in Tripoli, was coordinated by Libya’s Department for Combating Illegal Migration (DCIM) in collaboration with the Nigerian Consulate.
Migrant Rescue Watch, an organisation that monitors migrant rights and welfare in Libya, confirmed the development in a post on its official X handle. The group said the operation followed directives issued by Libya’s Judicial Police Department under the authority of the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
“Judicial Police Department, on orders of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, transferred a group of undocumented migrant females of Nigerian nationality to DCIM custody in Tripoli. All females were served with judicial deportation orders and are awaiting deportation,” the group noted in an earlier update.
Providing additional details, the organisation later confirmed the deportation had been executed.
“#Libya 11.11.25 – DCIM, with Nigerian consular support, repatriated 80 migrants of Nigerian nationality via Mitiga International Airport in Tripoli. The group includes migrants transferred by the Judicial Police who were served with judicial deportation orders,” it stated.
The deportation is the latest in a series of returns coordinated between Libyan and Nigerian authorities as part of efforts to address the growing number of irregular migrants detained across the North African country.
Libya has long served as a major transit point for migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, with many ending up in detention after failed attempts or interceptions by local security forces.
