The National Emergency Management Agency has received 153 Nigerian returnees from Chad who arrived in Lagos over the weekend under a voluntary repatriation programme.
The returnees touched down at the Cargo Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Sunday at approximately 12:15 p.m. aboard an ASKY Airlines flight.
According to a statement issued by NEMA’s Lagos Operations Office on Tuesday, the group comprised 105 adults—63 males and 42 females—alongside 45 children, consisting of 25 males and 20 females, and three female infants.
The Assisted Voluntary Return Programme, which facilitated their journey home, is a collaborative effort between the International Organisation for Migration and the Federal Government.
Upon arrival, officers from the Nigeria Immigration Service carried out biometric registration and documentation to ensure proper profiling and smooth reintegration of the returnees.
NEMA said the returnees received immediate humanitarian support, including meals, drinking water, medical attention, ambulance services, and counselling.
“In line with the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring the safe, dignified, and humane return of citizens, the returnees were provided with immediate humanitarian assistance, including food and potable water, medical care and ambulance services, luggage handling and logistics support, as well as general coordination and counselling services,” the agency stated.
The operation was jointly coordinated with IOM and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons.
Over the years, NEMA, working alongside various stakeholders, has facilitated the return of thousands of Nigerians stranded in foreign countries.
The latest batch of returnees arrived days after NEMA received 150 Nigerians from Agadez, Niger Republic, on Thursday, 23 October 2025.
“The returnees arrived safely at the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano,” the agency had said in a statement last Friday, noting that the group was received at approximately 5:20 a.m. by NEMA’s Kano Operations Office in partnership with the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons.
