The Federal Government of Nigeria has helped to return 542 Nigerians who were stranded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) back to the country.
On Sunday, October 23, at 4:29 am, the returnees—who included 79 men, 460 women, and 3 infants—arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on a Maxair chartered flight.
They were received by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and airport officials, security agencies including the National Commission for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Nigerian Diaspora Commission, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigerian Customs Service, Port Health Services, National Centre Disease Control (NCDC).
The returnees underwent screening by NCDC, had their profiles created by several key authorities, and were approved by the Nigerian Immigration Service.
The Nigerian consul general in Dubai, Ambassador Atinuke Taibat Mohammed, who was among the returnees on the flight, expressed her gratitude to the federal government for its exceptional assistance in the safe evacuation of the stranded nationals back home in her remarks.