The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), on Monday, announced the arrival of another batch of 144 stranded Nigerians who were repatriated from Niamey, the capital city of Niger Republic.

The Coordinator of the Kano Territorial Office of NEMA, Dr. Nuradeen Abdullahi, confirmed the development as he received the repatriated Nigerians at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano State.

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According to Mr. Suleiman Sa’ad-Abubakar, the Head of Human Resources at NEMA Kano, who represented Dr. Nuradeen Abdullahi, the repatriated Nigerians arrived at the airport around 2:30 p.m.
The returnees included 106 male adults, 16 female adults and 22 children (10 females and 12 males).

He said, “the returnees were transported into Nigeria by SKY MALI Airlines, operated by Ethiopian airline B737-400 with registration number UR-CQX”

He further explained that the returnees were brought back through a voluntary repatriation program organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) from Niamey, and were under the care of the organization during the journey.

“The program was 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,” he added.

Abdullahi pointed out that the repatriated individuals came from various regions of Nigeria, including but not limited to Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Abia, Sokoto, and Edo states.

He added that the repatriated individuals would undergo training in various skill acquisition programs, which would not only reintegrate them into society but also provide them with seed capital to become self-reliant.

The NEMA Coordinator, therefore, advised Nigerian citizens to avoid risking their lives by traveling abroad in search of better opportunities, emphasizing that there is no place like home.