NEMA receives another 140 Nigerians trapped in Niger Republic.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) received another batch of 140 Nigerians stuck in Agadas, Niger Republic, on Saturday.
Dr Nuradeen Abdullahi, NEMA Coordinator, Kano Territorial Office, acknowledged this while meeting the returnees in Kano.
According to him, the returnees were transported from Agadas to Kano in three luxury buses under the supervision of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
According to Abdullahi, the returnees were brought back through a voluntary repatriation program for the distressed who had left the nation in search of brighter pastures in other European countries but were unable to pay to return after their voyage got unsuccessful.
According to him, the returns included 100 male adults, 30 female adults, and 10 youngsters (six female and four male).
“The returnees come from various regions of the nation, including Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Jos, Lagos, and Cross River.”
The organizer went on to say that the returnees would be trained for four days to be self-sufficient and would be given a grant to establish their own enterprises.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), each returnee received clothing, food, toiletries, blankets, mosquito nets, pampers, and a sanitary pad.
He urged the returnees to serve as ambassadors for campaigning and public awareness of illegal migration.
“Nigerians should avoid putting their lives in peril by traveling to other nations in search of greener pastures because no country is better than Nigeria,” Abdullahi stated.
Madam Aisha Lawal, a divorcee and mother of five from Kaduna State, said she traveled to Libya with one of her children in search of better pastures.
“I was a businesswoman before I left my husband; we’re struggling, and I don’t have the funds to continue with my business, which is why I chose to fly to Libya,” she explained.
Another returnee, Mr Richard Odogwu from Lagos State, said he worked at a firm before traveling.
“I was fired from the firm where I work to make a little living while caring for my six siblings.”
“My parents are deceased, and I am responsible for my siblings, which is why I chose to move to Libya in quest of better pastures,” explained Odogwu.
NAN reports that between May and June, the agency received a total of 227 stranded Nigerians from Agadas.
The returnees were greeted by NEMA, as well as other organizations such as the Nigeria Red Cross, SEMA, the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and IDPs, and the DSS.