Abuja, Nigeria – The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), alongside other government stakeholders, received 103 Nigerian citizens deported from the Republic of Turkey on Friday. The deportees arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja at 7 PM via a Southwind Airlines flight, TCGRB, which landed at the pilgrims wing of the airport.
Federal Government officials, led by NEMA, were on hand to welcome the returnees. Addressing them, NEMA’s Director General, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, represented by the Director of the North Central Zone, Alhaji Bashir Garga, urged the deportees to accept their experiences with grace and adhere to the laws of the land. She emphasized the government’s concern for their well-being and dignity.
Mrs. Umar announced that the government had provided a token of financial support to assist the deportees in returning to their various destinations. After arrival, the returnees underwent screening by officials from the Port Health Authority, followed by profiling by NEMA and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI). They were subsequently cleared by the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and provided with transportation assistance.
The reception effort was supported by multiple agencies, including the Nigerian Immigration Service, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). Also present were officials from the Port Health Authority and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).
This collaborative effort underscores the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing the plight of its citizens abroad and ensuring their safe and dignified return home.
