144 Nigerians stranded in Niamey, Niger Republic were evacuated by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
He stated that there were 106 male adults, 16 female adults, and 22 children (10 females and 12 boys) among the returns.
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Nuradeen Abdullahi, NEMA Coordinator Kano Territorial Office, made the announcement while meeting the returnees at Kano’s Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.
Mr Abdullahi, who was represented at the airport by NEMA Kano Head of Human Resources Suleiman Sa’ad-Abubakar, stated that the returnees arrived at 2:30 p.m.
He stated that the returnees were transported back from Niamey under the supervision of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) through a voluntary repatriation arrangement.
“The programme was for the distressed, who had left the country to seek greener pastures in various European countries and were unable to return when their journey became frustrated,” he explained.
Mr Abdullahi stated that the returnees came from various regions of the country, including Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Abia, Sokoto, and Edo, among others.
He stated that the returnees would be trained on various skill development programmes that would integrate them back into society and provide them with seed funds to enable them to be self-sufficient.
He warned Nigerians to avoid putting their lives in jeopardy by travelling to seek greener pastures in other countries.
According to the SurgeZirc NG sources, the agency received 300 stranded Nigerians from Niamey, Niger Republic, between February and March.
While narrating her ordeal, one of the returnees, Fatima Muhammad, a widow and mother of two, claimed she went to Algeria to seek greener pastures for her children.
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“With no one to care for me and my children, I decided to seek greener pastures. I regretted embarking on the perilous journey, but I thank God we returned safely. Nigeria is far better than where we thought we could get better lives, where we suffered,” Ms Muhammad added.
According to reports, the returns were met by authorities from the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and IDPs, the Red Cross Society, and the Department of Defence.
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