The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Sunday received a fresh batch of 329 stranded Nigerians from Agadez, Niger Republic.

This is as over 1,100 Nigerian migrants arrived in Kano from Agadez, via road last week while NEMA repatriated another 497 citizens stranded in Niamey, back to Nigeria at the weekend.

Head of Operations, NEMA Kano Office, Dr Nura Abdullahi, disclosed this while receiving the returnees at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.

The returnees arrived at the airport at about 10:50 a.m. conveyed in six luxury buses. He said the returnees were brought back to Kano by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigerian Mission in Niger Republic, and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), through a voluntary repatriation.

He stated: “The programme was meant to ensure the safe and dignified return of stranded Nigerians.”

Mr Abdullahi said the returnees comprised 165 males, 72 females, 46 boys and 46 girls from Kaduna, Jigawa, Kano, Borno and Katsina states, among others.

He said after physical verification and profiling, the returnees would be transported back to their respective states.

The returnees were provided with food, while those with health challenges received medical attention.

He advised the returnees and other Nigerians to look beyond seeking better livelihoods outside the country and avoid endangering their lives through irregular migration.