She noted that the cost of chartering a flight amid coronavirus-induced lock-downs across the world “is not cheap”.

“When these ones are airlifted, another batch will cry for help,” she said. “The Federal Government can not fund this alone.”

Lebanon is mired in its worst economic crisis in decades, with the downturn sparking soaring inflation and plunging almost half the country’s population into poverty.

However many Nigerians are being trafficked into the country with the promise of good, well-paying jobs.