The Patriotic Citizen Initiative (PCI) has announced that it provided shelter and necessary rehabilitation care to 45 male migrant returnees in 2023, facilitating their reintegration into society.
According to PCI’s Executive Director, Osita Osemene, the returnees included both Nigerians and non-Nigerians. The Nigerians hailed from Abia, Anambra, Edo, and Kano, while the foreigners were nationals of Chad, the Republic of the Congo, and Guinea. All of them have been assisted in returning to their countries with the help of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Furthermore, Mr. Osemene stated that the returnees were brought back from Libya, Gabon, the Netherlands, Morocco, Mali, and Italy, and were categorized as Returned, Smuggled, Stranded, and Voluntary return migrants.
He noted that the male returnees were referred to the shelter by international and national partners.
“PCI Shelter is a non-governmental facility established in 2021 in Lagos, Nigeria, committed to providing short-term accommodation and rehabilitation services exclusively for returned male migrants,” he said.
Osemene added that the facility also received visits within the reporting year from the Embassy of Switzerland, the Danish Refugee Council, teams from ICMPD and NCFRMI, representatives of IOM from Washington, and Nigerian counterparts.
Additionally, Project Eyefon hosted a community awareness campaign for parents and community leaders at the shelter.
