384 Nigerians stranded in Saudi Arabia on Thursday arrived at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The returnees who were received by officials including those of Nigerians In Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) arrived via Air flight B773 at about 1:10 pm local time.
They include 300 males, 83 females, and one infant.
Ambassador Bolaji, a representative of the minister of Foreign Affairs, received the returnees at the Hajj Terminal where he charged them not to despair.
He, however, said the Nigerian government does not support illegal migration.
The evacuation of the stranded Nigerians follows a call for help from them in a video that went viral recently on social media.
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The videos showed bodies – wrapped in black polythene bags – lying on the floor in a packed room with a voice narrating that they have been stranded for more than seven months.
The Chairman of NIDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa while responding to the viral video depicting Nigerians pleading to be returned from Saudi Arabia assured that they will be evacuated from the Muslim country by January 28th and 29th.
She attributed the delay to the coronavirus pandemic as both countries bickered over the responsibility of paying for COVID-19 tests.
See NiDCOM’s tweets below:
