TheCable

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says it has received 66 Nigerian migrants who “voluntarily returned” from Niger Republic.

The citizens, who were said to have planned to migrate to Europe, arrived Kano from Niger Republic on Sunday under the supervision of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

Receiving the returnees, Nura Abdullahi, Kano zonal head of NEMA, said the returnees comprised women, children, and men, while most of them were said to be from northern Nigeria.

“The returnees will be offered training for one week and a token will be provided to them after the training to improve their various skills,” Abdullahi said.

He added that operatives from the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Red Cross and the Kano state emergency management agency (SEMA) were on ground to receive the returnees.

Abdullahi also said the agency provided the returnees with immediate refreshments and relief items, adding that doctors were invited to check the health status of the returnees.

Aside from the IOM representatives led by Barnabas Anthony, the organisation’s project assistant, the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) and other stakeholders were also present when the citizens arrived in Kano.