149 Nigerians Repatriated from Niger Republic, 2 Sustain Leg Injuries

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has received 149 returnees from Niger Republic, with two persons sustaining leg injuries. The returnees arrived in Nigeria on Tuesday via Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Cargo Terminal aboard SkyMali Boeing 737-500 airline.

“The returnees arrived in the country via Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Cargo Terminal aboard SkyMali Boeing 737-500 airline with registration UR-COX,” said NEMA in a statement on Wednesday.

According to NEMA, “The charter flight had a total of 149 returnees which comprised 87 adult males, 25 adult females, 22 children, and 15 infants. Meanwhile, there are two medical cases involved; two adult males with leg injuries. Port health and IOM medical teams were on the ground to provide the necessary support.”

The agency added that biometric registration was conducted by the Nigeria Immigration Service as part of the activities to ensure that the returnees were well documented. “In line with the reception process, biometric registration was conducted by the Nigeria Immigration Service as part of the activities to ensure that the returnees were well documented,” said NEMA.

This recent repatriation brings the total number of Nigerians repatriated from Niger Republic to 1,124. In January, NEMA reported that it repatriated 975 stranded Nigerians from Niger Republic, comprising 561 male, 152 female adults, and 262 children from various states.

“We advise Nigerian youths to stop endangering their lives by engaging in irregular migration in search of greener pastures in other countries,” said NEMA Coordinator, Kano Territorial Office, Dr. Nuradeen Abdullahi.

“The risks involved in irregular migration far outweigh any perceived benefits. We urge our youths to explore legal and safer means of migration’, he added.