104 Stranded Nigerians Return from Chad, Says NEMA

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has received 104 stranded Nigerians from N’Djamena, Chad Republic at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.

The Coordinator, Kano Territorial Office of the Agency, Dr Nuradeen Abdullahi, stated this while receiving the returnees on Tuesday in Kano.

Represented by Suleiman Sa’ad-Abubakar, Head of Human Resources, NEMA Kano, Abdullahi said the returnees arrived the airport at about 2:15 p.m.

He said the returnees were transported to Nigeria by SKY MALI Airlines, operated by Ethiopian Airline B737-500 with registration number UR-CQX.

The coordinator said the returnees comprised 34 males, 18 females and 52 children who hailed from Kano, Katsina, Borno, Akwa Ibom and Yobe States.

“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.

According to him, the government will train the returnees under skill acquisition programme to enable them learn trades and become self-reliant to fast-track their integration into the society.

While urging the returnees to be law abiding, Abdullahi advised Nigerians to shun illegal migration and avoid endangering their lives by travelling to seek for greener pasture elsewhere.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the Agency received 444 stranded Nigerians from Niamey, Niger Republic between February and April 2023. (NAN)