The Nigerian National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) received 1,003 Nigerians stranded in Niger Republic and Libya in 2022.
Coordinator of NEMA Kano Territorial Office, Nuradeen Abdullahi, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Saturday that the operation had the backing of the International Organization 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 program.”
“The program 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.