The International Organization for Migration says it has rescued more than 65,500 stranded Nigerian migrants in the past nine years, highlighting the scale of irregular migration challenges facing the country.
Speaking at a migration reporting workshop in Lagos, the agency revealed that over 30,000 returnees have also received psychological, social, and economic support to help rebuild their lives.
The IOM says it is intensifying efforts to promote safe and legal migration pathways, while urging greater public awareness and responsible media coverage of migration issues.
“We’ll have more on the numbers, the human stories, and what is being done to curb dangerous migration routes”, it said in a follow-up statement.
The development followed a growing crackdown on illegal immigrants in countries around the world.
Recently, the United States has intensified deportation efforts targeting Nigerians, with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) records identifying hundreds of Nigerian nationals with final removal orders or serious criminal convictions for deportation.
These removals are part of a broader crackdown by the U.S. government on both undocumented immigrants and violent offenders.
