The Federal Government has evacuated 542 Nigerians who were stranded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The evacuees, who consisted of 79 males, 460 females and 3 infants arrived at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja on board Maxair chartered flight on Sunday at 4:29 am.
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), NAPTIP, Nigerian Diaspora Commission, NDLEA, Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigerian Customs Service, Port Health Services, NCDC and others.
According to a statement by the Head of the Press Unit of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Manzo Ezekiel, the evacuees were given a token for transportation to their various destinations after being screened by the Health officials, profiled by various relevant agencies and cleared by Nigerian Immigration Service.
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The Director General NEMA, Mustapha Ahmed, while receiving the returnees on behalf of the Federal Government urged them to learn from their experiences and be law-abiding citizens.
Ahmed, who was represented by the Director of Finance and Accounts, Alhaji Sani Jiba, said the Federal Government approved the evacuation and provision of the token for the returnees to support their movement to their homes.
The Consul General of Nigeria in Dubai, Ambassador Atinuke Mohammed who accompanied the returnees back on the flight lauded the federal government for its intervention in the safe evacuation of the stranded citizens back home.
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