One hundred and ninety Nigerians have returned home after being repatriated from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday, July 16th, 2024.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) received the returnees at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. NEMA’s North Central Zonal Director, Bashir Idris Garga, confirmed the repatriation in a statement.
The reasons behind the repatriation were not disclosed by the authorities. However, it coincides with the recent lifting of the UAE’s visa restrictions on Nigerians. The Nigerian government announced the lifting of the ban on Monday, just a day before the repatriation.
The returnees were profiled and documented by relevant agencies upon arrival. NEMA also reports that they were “sensitized to behave with decorum and responsibility” upon returning to Nigeria.
The UAE suspended issuing visas to Nigerians in October 2022, following the disruption of flights between the two countries by Dubai’s Emirates Airline. The airline cited an inability to repatriate funds from Nigeria as the reason for the flight suspension.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
