No fewer than 542 stranded Nigerians in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been evacuated by the Federal Government.
The evacuees arrived Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja aboard a Max Air Chartered flight operated with the Airline’s Boeing 747.
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On board the plane, which touched down at 4:29 a.m, were 79 males, 460 females and 3 infants.
According to a statement signed by Head, Press Unit, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Manzo Ezekiel, they were received by a Federal Government team led by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and airport officials, security agencies including National Commission for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigerian Customs service, Port Health Services amongst others.
He said the returnees were screened by the health officials, profiled by various relevant agencies and cleared by Nigerian Immigration Service before given a token of transport fare by NEMA.
Receiving them on behalf of the Federal Government, Director General, NEMA, Mustapha Habib Ahmed urged the returnees to learn from their experiences and be law-abiding citizens.
Represented by the Director of Finance and Accounts, Alh. Sani Ahmed Jiba said the Federal Government approved the evacuation as well as a token for the returnees to support their movement back to their homes.
On her part, the Consul General of Nigeria in Dubai, Amb. Atinuke Taibat Mohammed, who accompanied the returnees back on the flight, appreciated the Federal Government for the special intervention in safe evacuation of the stranded citizens back home.
The evacuation followed the increasing harassment of Nigerians in the Middle East Country following the tightening of her immigration laws which invalidate the stay of some Nigerians.
Daily Trust further reports that the evacuation is coming 24 hours after UAE suspended visa issuance to Nigerians visiting Dubai, a decision that has triggered several missed flights and caused travel chaos in the industry.
