A total of 650 stranded Nigerian migrants have returned home after years of hardship in neighbouring Niger Republic.
They arrived at the Aminu Kanu international airport in Kano and were received by officials of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA.
The returnees, mostly women and children, arrived appearing visibly distressed and exhausted from their ordeal.
Among them is Kamalu Abdullahi, who lived in Niamey for 12 years before escalating violence forced him to flee.
The returnees consist of 292 males and 416 females, originating from various states including Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, and Borno.
Addressing newsmen, the Kano Field Coordinator for the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Displaced Persons, Luba Liman, described the evacuation as a unified government effort to rescue citizens from precarious situations abroad.
This latest repatriation serves as a grim reminder of the risks of irregular migration.
While these 650 have made it home, many others continue to face life-threatening dangers in the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea in search of greener pastures.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
