About 263 stranded Nigerians have voluntarily returned to the country, arriving in Kano on Thursday aboard two Sky Mali flights from Agadez in the Republic of Niger.
The returnees were reported to have touched down at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in two batches.
Represented by the Commission’s Kano State Coordinator, Mrs Lubah Liman, the Federal Commissioner of NCFRMI, Aliyu Tijani, explained that the operation formed part of ongoing efforts to ensure the safe and dignified return of Nigerians stranded abroad.
The first flight arrived at around 12:50 pm with 116 passengers, while the second landed at about 4:35 pm with 147 persons, the majority being young men, alongside a few women and children.
To ensure the safe return of those affected, the exercise was facilitated under the Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) programme of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in collaboration with the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI).
On arrival, the returnees were taken to the Nigerian Immigration Service Training School in Kano for documentation and profiling, with the exercise emphasising that the repatriation was strictly voluntary and followed due consultations with the migrants.
According to her, “Officials of NCFRMI and the Nigerian Immigration Service are conducting profiling and documentation, while other agencies, including the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, the Department of State Services, the National Emergency Management Agency, and the Kano State Emergency Management Agency, are providing additional support.”
Liman explained that after documentation, the returnees would receive multipurpose cash assistance and transportation support to enable them to return to their various communities and begin a meaningful life.
She added that reintegration assistance would also be provided to help beneficiaries establish small businesses and rebuild their lives.
She stated that the federal government is committed to migrant protection and reintegration under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, pointing out that collaboration with IOM and other stakeholders demonstrates the government’s resolve to tackle irregular migration and safeguard citizens abroad.
263 stranded Nigerians return home from Niger Republic