In a statement released on Saturday, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Kano Operations Office, which received the returnees confirmed that they landed at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport on Friday at about 2:30pm aboard a chartered flight operated by Tarco Aviation.
The Nigerian government has received no fewer than 148 Nigerians repatriated from Sudan as part of the ongoing efforts to ensure the safe evacuation of citizens trapped abroad, particularly in war-torn countries.
In a statement released on Saturday, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Kano Operations Office, which received the returnees confirmed that they landed at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport on Friday at about 2:30pm aboard a chartered flight operated by Tarco Aviation.
According to the breakdown provided by NEMA, the group comprised 25 men, 27 women, 39 male children, and 57 female children.
Upon arrival, NEMA said, “the returnees were transported to the Chila Hotel for profiling and documentation by relevant stakeholders.”
The agency noted that the migrants were not placed in any reintegration programme.
“The returnees were not enrolled in any reintegration programme and were discharged and given them transport fare by providing them with ATM card for withdrawals shortly after the completion of documentation and profiling,” the statement read.
The agency described the operation as “well-coordinated and successfully executed,” adding that the return was part of ongoing measures to assist citizens displaced by the conflict in Sudan, which has already forced millions from their homes and strained the country’s fragile infrastructure.
According to the statement, the Nigerian Government, in partnership with NEMA and international organisations, is continuing to monitor the situation and provide support for Nigerians affected by the crisis.
NEMA further highlighted its collaboration with international partners in addressing challenges faced by Nigerian migrants abroad.
It also noted the role of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), which has been active in rescuing Nigerian girls from traffickers’ camps in Libya.
Fighting erupted in Sudan in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), plunging the country into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The conflict has killed thousands and displaced over 10 million people, according to the United Nations, with many fleeing into neighboring countries such as Chad, South Sudan, and Egypt.
Nigeria, home to a significant population of students and migrant workers in Sudan, has been carrying out evacuation missions since the crisis broke out.
Since April 2023, the Nigerian government, with support from NEMA and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), have evacuated thousands of stranded Nigerians, many of them students, through Egypt before airlifting them back home.
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