Federal Government has evacuated some 542 Nigerians who were stranded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) back home.
The returnees, who consist of 79 males, 460 females and three infants, arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, onboard a Maxair chartered flight on Sunday.
They were received by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and airport officials, security agencies including the National Commission for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Nigerian Diaspora Commission, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigerian Customs Service, Port Health Services, Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC).
The returnees were screened by NCDC officials, profiled by various relevant agencies and cleared by the Nigerian Immigration Service.
In her remarks, the Consul General of Nigeria in Dubai, Ambassador Atinuke Mohammed, who accompanied the returnees on the flight back home, appreciated the Federal Government for the special intervention that has led to the safe evacuation of the stranded citizens.
RN