542 stranded Nigerians have arrived at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
This was confirmed by Mr. Manzo Ezekiel, Head of the NEMA Press Unit, in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja.
He said that the travelers returned at 4:29 a.m. on a Max Air chartered flight and arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
The returnees, he continued, included 460 women, three newborns, and 79 men.
He noted that before receiving a token from NEMA to help with their transportation to their destinations, the returnees were screened by health experts, profiled by several relevant agencies, and cleared by the Nigerian Immigration Service.
Prior to officially receiving the returnees on behalf of the Federal Government, Mr. Mustapha Ahmed, Director-General of NEMA, urged them to draw lessons from their experiences and uphold the law.
Ahmed added that the Federal Government had approved the evacuation and the provision of the token to support their movement back to their various homes. Ahmed was represented by the agency’s Director of Finance and Account, Mr. Sani Jiba.
Amb. Atinuke Mohammed, the Nigerian consul general in Dubai, who accompanied the returnees to their home nation, expressed gratitude to the federal government for its special assistance in ensuring the citizens’ safe evacuation.
The National Commission for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), NAPTIP, NIDCOM, NDLEA, Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigerian Custom Service, NCDC, Port Health Services, and other officials received the returnees
