Nigerian Prophet , T . B . Joshua , has splashed N6m ($ 30 , 000) on over a hundred Nigerian deportees who arrived from Libya on the evening of Thursday 16 th June , 2016.
According to media reports , 162 Nigerians were deported from the North African nation with the aid of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM ) in collaboration with the Swiss government and the Nigerian Embassy in Libya .
However, rather than return home , 107 decided to ‘ seek refuge ’ at The Synagogue , Church Of All Nations (SCOAN ) , the popular Lagos- based church of T . B . Joshua .
According to a post on Joshua ’ s official Facebook page , after feeding the dishevelled and frail- looking Nigerians who arrived at the church late in the night , the sum of N 50 , 000 was given to each of them alongside a bag of rice.
“Let me be honest with you , if not for this gift from T . B . Joshua , I had the plan of joining the militants in the Niger Delta , ” admitted Friday, a returnee from Delta State , who fell to his knees in gratitude after receiving the gift .
The deportees explained to this reporter that most of them had been surviving by doing menial jobs in the war- torn nation before being arrested and imprisoned.
“We came back with nothing but the clothes on our backs which were given to us by United Nations officials , ” said Michael , an Edo State indigene who had been in Libya for nearly ten months, washing cars for a living while nursing the hope of reaching Europe one day .
Arrested in February for staying illegally , Michael endured several months in a Libyan prison before the insufferable conditions of the prisoners attracted the attention of United Nations officials who procured their eventual release .
“I was thinking of how I was going to start my life again, ” he admitted . “Many of us would have ended up in crime if not for this gift . ”
Upon arrival, the National Emergency
Management Agency (NEMA ) provided transportation vehicles for the returnees to their respective states along with a gesture of N 10 , 000 by the Swiss government .
However, the majority chose to seek help from
Joshua , who is famed for his extensive humanitarian gestures .
“We decided to come to The SCOAN because we know how Prophet T . B . Joshua has been helping people around the world, ” Michael explained, referring to multiple other occasions where Joshua has rendered assistance to Nigerian deportees .
“I can only thank the man of God . Which other Nigerian could have done this for us at such a time in this country ?”he tearfully pondered, decrying the muted response from the Nigerian government to their plight .
According to Collins , the young Nigerian had no intention to traverse Libya . Wild promises from a ‘ friend ’ of a glamorous life in Europe lured him away from a stable job in Abuja , not knowing that the European dream would lead him to a Libyan dungeon .
The fantasy turned to a nightmare as Libyan police broke into the commune where he was residing with dozens of other Nigerians en - route to a ‘ better life ’ abroad that never materialised.
“We are not here to blame or accuse the Libyan government , ” he stated , recounting the inhumane conditions he endured in prison in which several of his colleagues died.
One of the deportees hobbled to the church on
crutches . ” I had a serious motor accident shortly after arriving to join my wife in Libya , ” he narrated .
“I have been in pain ever since but I thank God for using Prophet T . B. Joshua to wipe our tears away today. ”
Joshua , who recently celebrated his 53 rd birthday on June 12 th 2016 , also assisted Nigerian deportees who returned from Libya earlier this year , as well as aiding Nigerians returned from South Africa last month.
Source:Ihechukwu Njoku is a freelance Nigerian journalist.
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