No fewer than 400 Nigerian returnees from Libya went on rampage at the International wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, protesting the non-arrival of their luggage three weeks after they returned.
The protest went on for a few hours until a combined effort of officers of the Nigerian Police, the Nigerian Air Force and other security agencies succeed in calming the situation.
The returnees barricaded the entrances to the arrival and departure halls and also prevented vehicles from entering the motor park at the number one gateway.
They marched out from the Hajj Camp side of the airport where they were camped, carrying placards with their demands written on them and chanting solidarity songs.
The protesters also pulled down tree branches along the way to block the road, making it difficult for persons and vehicles to move around the airport.
They appealed to the Federal Government to assist them in bringing their luggage from the transit point in Tunis.
“We are Nigerians, now turned refugees in our own country. We want our luggage back or you fly us back to Libya to die,” they said.
Mr. John Agbi, who spoke on behalf of the returnees, said that officials of the Nigerian Emergency Management Agency had treated them badly.
He accused the officials of NEMA of failing in their responsibility of taking care of them and lying about the situation of things in their camp.
According to Agbi, NEMA officials give them food regularly for the first week of their arrival, saying they have stopped given them anything since then.
Airport Police Commissioner, Mr. Moses Onireti, appealed to the protesters to exercise patience and advised them to direct their grievances to NEMA’s office and not the airport.
He said, “Government is doing everything possible to bring back their luggage.”
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Nigerian returnees from Libya cause commotion at airport
Nigerian returnees from Libya cause commotion at airport
NigerianEye
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Wednesday, April 06, 2011
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