NEMA on Sunday received 329 stranded Nigerians from Agadez, Niger Republic, at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.
The Head of Operations at the NEMA Kano Office, Dr Nura Abdullahi, disclosed this while receiving the returnees at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.
The returnees arrived at the airport at about 10:50 a.m., conveyed in six luxurious buses.
He said the returnees were brought back to Kano by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigerian Mission in the Republic of Niger, and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), through a voluntary repatriation.
He stated that the program is designed to guarantee the safety and dignity of Nigerians stranded abroad.
Abdullahi said the returnees comprised 165 males, 72 females, 46 boys and 46 girls from Kaduna, Jigawa, Kano, Borno and Katsina states, among others.
After undergoing physical verification and profiling, Abdullahi said, the returnees would then be transported back to their respective states, continuing the process of reunification.
The returnees were provided with food, while those with health challenges received medical attention.
He advised the returnees and other Nigerians to look beyond seeking better livelihoods abroad and to avoid endangering their lives through irregular migration.
Abdullahi urged the returnees to serve as advocates against irregular migration by sensitising other youths on its dangers.
One of the returnees, Mrs Fatima Sani, a widow and mother of five from Nasarawa Local Government Area of Kano State, said she travelled to Libya in search of a better livelihood.
“My husband died two years ago, leaving me with five children. We had no food and could not pay our rent. That was why I travelled to Libya to make money to pay my rent and start a business,” she said.
Sani recounted through tears how she was attacked by thieves who stole everything she had, leaving her feeling helpless and frightened. Life in Libya, she recalled, was filled with fear and uncertainty.
“I worked as a house help in Libya, doing chores like sweeping and washing dishes. Every day felt like a fight for survival. Life was not easy in Libya,” she said, recalling her hardship.
Another returnee, Mrs Saihatu Idris, said she travelled to Libya with her two children to sell ready-made clothes.
“This was my first time travelling to Libya. On the way, bandits attacked us and cruelly stole my clothes and money. I felt lost and shattered as I watched all my hopes disappear,” she shared softly. I only spent 24 days there. I now realise Nigeria is safer,” she added.
She pleaded, her voice breaking, for the government to support them with grants so they could care for their families and start anew, expressing a longing for stability and dignity.
The returnees were received by the officials of NEMA, SEMA, the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDPs, and the Red Cross Society, among others.
