By Khadijah Aliyu
No fewer than 263 stranded Nigerians have voluntarily returned from Agadez in the Niger Republic, arriving in Kano aboard two flights under a coordinated repatriation effort.
The returnees touched down at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in two batches where Majority of the returnees were young men, alongside a few women and children.
The exercise was facilitated under the Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) programme of the International Organization for Migration in collaboration with the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI).
The Federal Commissioner of NCFRMI, Aliyu Tijani, who was represented by the Commission’s Kano State Coordinator, Lubah Liman, said the operation formed part of ongoing efforts to ensure the safe and dignified return of Nigerians stranded abroad.
She stated that the repatriation was strictly voluntary and followed due consultations with the migrants.
According to her, officials of NCFRMI and the Nigerian Immigration Service are conducting profiling and documentation, while other agencies, including the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the Department of State Services, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and the Kano State Emergency Management Agency, are providing additional support.
Lubah further disclosed that after documentation, the returnees would receive multipurpose cash assistance and transportation support to enable them return to their various communities. She added that reintegration assistance would also be provided to help beneficiaries establish small businesses and rebuild their lives.
She reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to migrant protection and reintegration under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that collaboration with IOM and other stakeholders demonstrates government’s resolve to tackle irregular migration and safeguard citizens abroad.
