Four hundred Nigerians who were deported from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
According to a report by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), the deportees were received at the airport by officials from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in collaboration with the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, the National Emergency Management Agency, and other relevant stakeholders.
The report, posted on Wednesday in the handle of NTA on X, said: “Four hundred Nigerians, including 90 females and 310 males, have been deported from the United Arab Emirates back to Nigeria.
“They were received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, by the office of the National Security Adviser in collaboration with the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and other stakeholders.”
The Federal Government repatriated a total of 190 Nigerians from the United Arab Emirates in July 2024, PUNCH Online reported.
Nigeria, UAE diplomatic issues
The diplomatic tension between Nigeria and the UAE has been ongoing, with the UAE imposing a visa ban on Nigerians nearly two years ago, stemming from various diplomatic disputes.
One major issue involved Dubai’s Emirates Airline halting flights to Nigeria after the Central Bank of Nigeria was unable to remit an estimated $850 million in revenue to the UAE.
In June, after several rounds of negotiations with UAE authorities, the Nigerian government assured its citizens that the visa ban would soon be lifted. Around the same time, it was announced that Nigeria had paid 98 per cent of the $850 million owed, signalling progress in resolving the dispute.
This deportation occurs against the backdrop of ongoing diplomatic tensions between the two nations, which may be rooted in various undisclosed issues. Despite this, reports earlier this year indicated that both countries reached an agreement to lift travel restrictions on Nigerians.
The United Arab Emirates Government in July 2024 announced it had finally lifted visa restrictions imposed on Nigerians with immediate effect.
@With additional reports from The PUNCH, Pictures courtesy of NTA News