Nigeria receives 802 returnees from Saudi Arabia

The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that 802 Nigerians will be evacuated from Saudi Arabia on Thursday and Friday.

A statement by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Gabriel Aduda, said the returnees would be conveyed by the Saudi Arabian airline.

They are expected to arrive at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Thursday (today) and Friday (tomorrow).

The ministry, however, said in strict adherence to the COVID-19 guidelines, the returnees would be quarantined at the Federal Capital Territory Hajj camp for 14 days.

Last week, the Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said the evacuation of the illegal migrants was delayed due to COVID-19, just as she advised Nigerians against travelling without proper documents

This came after a video surfaced on social media that saw some Nigerians stranded in the country and lay in an overcrowded room, covering their bodies with polythene bags.

Over the years there have been reports of Nigerians migrating to other countries illegally for greener pastures.

According to a report, over 10,000 Nigerians died on high seas as they attempted to migrate to Europe between 2000 and 2008.