By Wilson Adekumola
The National Emergency Management Agency has disclosed that 104 stranded Nigerians from N’Djamena, Chad Republic arrived Nigeria through the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.
The Coordinator, Kano Territorial Office of the Agency, Dr Nuradeen Abdullahiade made this known while receiving the returnees on Tuesday in Kano.
Abdullahiade who was represented by Suleiman Sa’ad-Abubakar, Head of Human Resources, NEMA Kano, Abdullahi said the returnees arrived the airport at about 2:15 pm.
He said the returnees were transported to Nigeria by SKY MALI Airlines, operated by Ethiopian Airline B737-500 with registration number UR-CQX.
Giving the statistics, the Coordinator said the returnees comprised 34 males, 18 females and 52 children who hailed from Kano, Katsina, Borno, Akwa Ibom and Yobe.
“The returnees were brought back under the care of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) from N’Djamena through a voluntary repatriation programme.
“The programme is for the distressed who had left the country to seek greener pasture in European countries and could not afford to return when their journey became frustrated,” he said.
He said the government will empower the returnees under skill acquisition programme so that they can learn trades and become self-reliant to ease their integration into society.
Abdullahi, however, called on Nigerians to refrain from illegal migration and avoid putting their lives in jeopardy by travelling to seek greener pastures elsewhere just as he urged the returnees to be law-abiding.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the Agency received 444 stranded Nigerians from Niamey, Niger Republic between February and April 2023.
