The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has received 153 Nigerians who voluntarily returned from Chad under the Assisted Voluntary Return Programme facilitated by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in collaboration with the Federal Government.

According to a statement issued by NEMA’s Lagos Operations Office on Tuesday via its official X handle, the returnees arrived at the Cargo Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Sunday, 27 October 2025, at about 12:15 p.m. The group travelled aboard an ASKY Airlines flight with registration number CAS-AC.

The agency stated, “The breakdown of the returnees includes 105 adults (63 males and 42 females), 45 children (25 males and 20 females), and three infants (all females).”

It added that officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service conducted biometric registration and documentation of the returnees “to ensure accurate profiling and facilitate their smooth reintegration into the country.”

Upon arrival, NEMA said the returnees were provided with immediate humanitarian assistance, including food, potable water, medical care, and counselling. The agency explained that the support formed part of the government’s efforts to ensure a safe and dignified return process.

“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 statement read.

The agency said it has continued to work with local and international partners to facilitate the return of Nigerians stranded abroad. The returnees from Chad have since been relocated to their respective states after completing initial documentation and support procedures.

The repatriation effort was jointly coordinated by NEMA, the IOM, and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI).

The latest operation follows a similar exercise conducted last week, when 150 Nigerians were received from Agadez, Niger Republic, under the same programme.

The returnees from Chad have since been relocated to their respective states after completing initial documentation procedures.

On October 18, the IOM disclosed that 4,760 Nigerians stranded abroad were assisted to return home in 2024 through its Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) programme.

The figure, published in the IOM’s 2024 Annual Report, includes 2,435 men and 2,324 women. Many of the returnees, the agency noted, were contending with economic hardship, social stigma and psychological distress upon their return.

According to the report, the majority of the returnees came from Libya (1,631), Niger (1,088), Chad (523), Mali (338) and Côte d’Ivoire (263). Of the total, 1,101 were identified as victims of trafficking, predominantly from Edo, Delta, Ogun, Imo and Lagos states.

“AVRR remained a cornerstone of IOM Nigeria’s assistance to migrants in 2024,” the report stated. It added that reintegration packages provided to returnees included vocational training, business support and psychosocial services.

The IOM explained that the AVRR programme is designed to ensure sustainable return by combining travel assistance with post-arrival support.

“The aim is to prevent re-migration and ensure sustainability,” the report said, while acknowledging persistent challenges in employment and economic reintegration, particularly for young people and women.