By Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

ABOUT 22 girls with hoods on their faces calling on Nigerian government and well-meaning citizens to come to their aid in Lebanon have been located and rescued.

The girls have been removed to another location, The Nation has learnt.

According to the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), the girls will be part of the 150 other Nigerians stranded in Lebanon that will be evacuated between August 12 and 16.

The ladies in the viral video were seen packed in a small room asking for government and Nigerians to come to their aid.

According to a tweet by NIDCOM, they will be evacuated back home along with other 150 Nigerians stranded in the country.

A breakdown of the 150 awaiting evacuation shows that they are from 21 states of the country.

With Oyo State contributes the highest with 41 and followed closely by Osun with 26. Ogun has 21; Ondo, 18; Lagos, 12; Kwara 9, Ekiti, six; Imo and Delta have three each. Enugu, Kogi, Eso, Ebonyi, Benue, Abia, Akwa Ibom and Anambra have one each.

Read Also: Stranded Oyo indigenes in Lebanon for free repatriation – Makinde

NIDCOM in the tweet stated: “The girls have been located , rescued and moved to another location by the Nigerian mission in Lebanon. They will return along with about 150 others awaiting evacuation from Lebanon”.

The commission, in a statement signed by Mr. Gabriel Odu of its Media and Publicity Unit revealed the evacuation plan after NIDCOM management, led by its Secretary, Dr. Sule Yakubu Bassi, visited the Lebanon Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Houssam Diab, in Abuja.

Ambassador Diab stated that the stranded Nigerians will be returned home in batches. The first batch of 110 will leave Beirut, Lebanon on August 12 to Lagos and the second batch will be returned to Abuja on August 16.

The diplomat lauded the efforts of  the Lebanese community and the Oyo State Government, which is sponsoring the return of 55 of the girls.

Bassi on behalf of the Chairman/CEO NIDCOM, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, applauded the excellent ties existing between Nigeria and Lebanon.

He urged both countries to sustain the cordial relationship.  Dr. Bassi also commended the dedication and commitment of Nigerian Ambassador to Lebanon Amb. Goni Madu Zanna Bura, Mission staff, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Oyo and Ogun state governments and other strategic partners.