Libyan authorities have deported 80 Nigerian migrants detained across several facilities in a renewed crackdown on illegal residency and overcrowded detention centres.
The repatriation took place on Wednesday through Mitiga International Airport in Tripoli and was coordinated by Libya’s Department for Combating Illegal Migration (DCIM) in partnership with the Nigerian Consulate.
According to Migrant Rescue Watch, an organisation monitoring migrant rights in Libya, the operation was carried out on the orders of the Libyan Judicial Police.
In a post on X, the group stated that undocumented Nigerian women in custody were moved to DCIM detention centres, issued judicial deportation notices, and subsequently placed on the flight back to Nigeria.
“The Judicial Police, acting on orders from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, transferred a group of undocumented Nigerian migrants to DCIM custody in Tripoli.
All individuals were served with deportation orders and are now back in Nigeria,” the organisation said.
The latest mass deportation forms part of Libya’s intensified campaign against irregular migration, executed in collaboration with foreign missions to ease congestion and address persistent human rights concerns in migrant detention facilities.
The exercise underlines the ongoing hardships faced by West African migrants in Libya and the growing cooperation between Nigerian authorities and Libyan officials to ensure structured and lawful repatriation.