390 Nigerian migrants who were stuck in Niamey, Niger Republic, have been sent back to their homeland.
At around 1:05 a.m. on Tuesday, the returnees—who included 387 adult males, two adult females, and one baby boy—arrived at the Nigeria Immigration Training Academy in Kano.
A group of 702 Nigerians who had become stuck in the Niger Republic were brought back to their homeland in December 2024.
The Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Hon. Tijjani Ahmed, spoke at their reception in Kano on Tuesday and reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to reintegrating the returnees into various empowerment programs under President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.
He clarified that the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Nigerian Mission in Niamey launched a multi-agency operation to coordinate the repatriation operations.
The commissioner, who was accompanied by Hajiya Lubah Liman, the Kano State Field Coordinator, stated that the most recent endeavour represents the third group of Niger Republic returnees and continues the voluntary returns that were started in 2024.
“Upon arrival, the returnees were registered and profiled by NCFRMI and Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) officials to ensure proper documentation and access to various Federal Government reintegration support programmes.”
He praised the involved agencies’ smooth cooperation efforts but emphasised that the operation’s success was guaranteed by their combined efforts.