The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has facilitated the return of 497 Nigerian migrants from Niamey, Niger Republic, in a coordinated voluntary repatriation exercise.
The returnees were received at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport on Friday at about 12:40 p.m., according to officials overseeing the operation.
Dr Nura Abdullahi, Head of Operations at the NEMA Kano Office, said the exercise was not a forced deportation but a voluntary return supported by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He explained that the repatriation was carried out in partnership with the Nigerian Mission in Niger Republic and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to ensure the safe and dignified return of stranded citizens.
The group includes 174 men, 97 women, 137 boys, and 89 girls, with participants originating from several states including Kano, Jigawa, Borno, and Kaduna.
Upon arrival, the returnees were provided with food and initial support services. Health personnel from the Nigerian Red Cross, with backing from the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, also attended to individuals with medical needs.
Abdullahi said the migrants were profiled and would be transported back to their respective home states after documentation and verification processes were completed.
He noted that many of the returnees left Nigeria in search of better economic opportunities, with some originally intending to continue onward journeys toward Libya before encountering dangerous conditions that forced them to turn back.
He urged Nigerians to reconsider irregular migration routes, stressing that unsafe journeys often expose travellers to extreme hardship and life-threatening risks.
Some of the returnees shared accounts of their experiences abroad, describing harsh desert conditions, lack of food and water, and incidents of exploitation and robbery during their attempts to reach North Africa.
The returnees appealed to government authorities for economic assistance and reintegration support to help them rebuild their livelihoods.
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