Fresh batch of 522 stranded Nigerians arrive Kano from Niger

File: Returnees

A fresh batch of at least 522 stranded Nigerians has arrived in Nigeria from Niamey, the Niger Republic.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the returnees were received by the National Emergency Management Agency on Sunday as part of ongoing voluntary repatriation efforts.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the returnees, conveyed in 12 luxury buses, arrived at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano at about 5:10pm for profiling.

Speaking to newsmen after receiving the returnees, the Head of Operations, NEMA Kano Office, Nura Abdullahi, said the exercise was purely voluntary and not a forced evacuation.

“It is a voluntary repatriation of Nigerians from the Niger Republic. The returnees were brought back by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” he said.

He stated that the returnees comprised 267 male adults, 101 female adults, 82 boys, and 72 girls from different parts of Nigeria, particularly Kano, Jigawa, Plateau, and Bauchi states, among others.

He added that NEMA, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, had put adequate arrangements in place to cater to the returnees upon arrival. Punch