4th February, 2023
By Ramatu Garba
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) brought back 1,003 Nigerians stranded in Niger Republic and Libya into Kano in 2022.
Coordinator of its Kano Territorial Office, Dr Nuradeen Abdullahi, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Saturday that the exercise had the backing of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
“The returnees were brought back from Agadez (Niger Republic), Khartoum, Libya and Chad under the care of the IOM through a voluntary repatriation programme.
“The programme was designed for the distressed that left Nigeria to seek greener pastures in various European countries through the desert, but could not afford to return when their trips became harrowing,” he said.
He added that the 1,003 returnees received between April and December 2022, were 665 male adults, 113 female adults and 225 children.
One hundred and eight of the children received are female.
“The returnees were from Katsina, Kaduna, Bauchi, Sokoto, Lagos and Kano states, among others,” he said.
According to Abdullahi, upon arrival, the returnees were trained in various skills to integrate them into society and to enable them to be self-reliant.