The National Emergency Management Agency has facilitated the voluntary repatriation of 497 stranded Nigerian migrants from Niamey, Niger Republic, to Kano State.
The returnees arrived at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport on Friday afternoon as part of a coordinated humanitarian operation involving the Federal Government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the International Organization for Migration.
Speaking on the exercise, Dr. Nura Abdullahi, Head of Operations at NEMA Kano Office, explained that the repatriation was voluntary and aimed at ensuring the safe and dignified return of stranded Nigerians.
According to him, the returnees included 174 men, 97 women, 137 boys, and 89 girls from states such as Kano, Jigawa, Borno, and Kaduna.
Abdullahi disclosed that NEMA, alongside relevant agencies, provided meals, medical support, profiling, and transportation assistance for the migrants upon arrival.
He noted that many of the returnees had embarked on dangerous migration journeys in search of better economic opportunities, with several attempting to reach Libya before abandoning the trip due to harsh and unsafe conditions.
Some of the returnees recounted traumatic experiences, including hunger, dehydration, attacks by bandits, and the loss of fellow travellers in the desert.
NEMA urged Nigerians to avoid irregular migration and seek safer, legal means of livelihood within the country.
