The Federal government has received 148 Nigerians including infants who were repatriated from Niger Republic.
Their return back to the country was made public by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in a statement released on Thursday.
In the statement, NEMA revealed that the returnees were repatriated from Niger Republic on Tuesday.
Giving a breakdown, NEMA revealed that the repatriated Nigerians included 120 adult males, nine adult females, 10 male children, seven female children, and two infants.
It further revealed that they were received by the NEMA Lagos Territorial Office (LTO), alongside other key stakeholders, with support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The statement partly reads, “The NEMA Lagos Territorial Office (LTO), alongside other key stakeholders, welcomed a new group of returnees repatriated from the Niger Republic on Tuesday, 12 November 2024, with support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
“The returnees landed at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Cargo Terminal, at approximately 2:15 PM on Skymali flight ER-CTZ, totalling 148 individuals. The group included 120 adult males, nine adult females, 10 male children, seven female children, and two infants.
“Due to heavy rain, there was a brief delay in moving the returnees from the aircraft. Once the weather cleared, officials from the Nigerian Immigration Service arrived, and the aircraft handlers provided buses to transport the returnees to the biometric registration centre for documentation.”
This development have since sparked outrage from Nigerians who are berating the Federal government on the grounds that the current economic hardship is the only reason why Nigerians would go to Niger Republic and be deported.
They are also wondering what Niger Republic which Nigeria is unarguably bigger than has to offer to Nigerians.
