No fewer than 43 Nigerians have been deported from Germany, Belgium and Italy for several immigration-related offenses and unruly behaviour.
The deportees arrived through Hi-Fly chartered Airbus 330 aircraft with registration number CS-TQW at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) at exactly 8:55 pm on Thursday.
They were received on arrival by officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the police and several other agencies in deportation matters.
This is the second time within the week that Nigerians would be brought back into the country.
Earlier in the week, 171 Nigerians – consisting 112 females, 49 males and five infants – returned from Libya with tales of woes after their attempt to cross to Europe through the sea and the Sahara Desert failed.
Commenting on the latest deportation, Deputy Director, Search and Rescue, NEMA, Dr. Bandele Onimode, said the deportees comprised 33 from Italy, seven from Belgium and three from Germany.
Onimode, who represented the Director-General of NEMA, Mohammed Sidi, said the agency would make sure the deportees were comfortable and ensure their safe return to their various destinations.
He urged them to stay in the country and join hands with others to develop it.
“They are coming back almost empty and this is a lesson to them to settle down home and be useful to their country. We will ensure that they are well catered for,” he said.
