180 Stranded Nigerians Return from Niger Republic, Says NEMA

Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano 

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) have received 180 Nigerians that were stranded in Niger Republic on their ways to Libya and Algeria to seek greener pastures.

Receiving the returnees in Kano on Friday, the NEMA Coordinator Kano Territorial Office, Dr Nuradeen Abdullahi, said the victims included: 144 male adults, 13 female adults and 23 children (17 female and six male).

“The returnees are from different parts of the country, some from Lagos, Katsina, Cross River, Kaduna, Bauchi and Kano State among others. They will be trained for four days to be self-reliant and will be given a grant.

According to him, the returnees were brought back to Kano through a voluntary repatriation programme for the distressed who had left the country to seek greener pastures in various European countries and could not afford to return when their journey became frustrated.

“Nigerians should avoid endangering their lives by traveling to seek for greener pastures in other countries no country better than our country Nigeria,” the Coordinator said

The NEMA Territorial officer noted that the agency between May and August had received 380 Nigerians stranded from Agadez Niger Republic, and Khartoum Sudan and were trained in various skills acquisition.

He advised the returnees to be ambassadors towards advocacy and sensitisation against irregular migration.

The returnees were brought back to Kano State at about 11:30 a.m in three luxury buses under the care of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) from Agadez in Niger Republic.