LIBYA has deported 163 illegal Nigerian migrants, including women and children, the country’s anti-illegal migration department disclosed on Tuesday.

The department, in a statement, said that the deportation was done in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), through its Voluntary Humanitarian Return program for illegal immigrants stranded in Libya.

“Based on instructions from the Interior Ministry and the Attorney General’s office, 163 illegal Nigerian migrants, including women and children, managed to return to their country voluntarily,” the statement said in part.

All the migrants were tested for COVID-19 before departure, the agency said.

Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos since 2011, making the North African country a preferred point of departure for illegal migrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores.

Since 2015, more than 53,000 illegal migrants have returned from Libya through the programme, with support from the European Union and the Italian Migration Fund, according to the IOM.