National Emergency Management Agency has repatriated 497 stranded Nigerian citizens from Niamey in Niger Republic back to Nigeria.

The returnees arrived at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport on Friday at about 12:40 p.m., where they were received by officials of the agency.

Speaking with journalists after receiving the returnees, Nura Abdullahi said the exercise was a voluntary evacuation for Nigerians who had indicated interest in returning home.

According to Abdullahi, the repatriation exercise was a collaborative arrangement involving the Nigerian Mission in Niger Republic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Organization for Migration to ensure the safe and dignified return of stranded Nigerians.

He disclosed that the returnees comprised 174 men, 97 women, 137 boys and 89 girls from states including Kano, Jigawa, Borno and Kaduna.

Abdullahi said NEMA, alongside relevant stakeholders, provided support for the returnees upon arrival, including meals, profiling and transportation back to their various states.

He added that the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons supplied drugs to the Nigerian Red Cross medical team to attend to returnees with health challenges.

The NEMA official attributed the migration of many of the returnees to the search for better economic opportunities abroad, noting that most were likely heading to Libya before abandoning the journey due to insecurity and harsh conditions.

He advised Nigerians against risking dangerous migration journeys in search of greener pastures, stressing that no country was better than one’s homeland.

One of the returnees, Sani Hamisu from Kano State, said he travelled to Libya in search of better opportunities after experiencing financial hardship.

He recounted the harsh conditions in the desert, saying many migrants died from hunger and lack of water during the journey.

Hamisu said he spent six years in Libya doing menial jobs before eventually returning home without any financial gains.

He added that officials of the International Organization for Migration rescued them in the desert and took them back to Niger Republic before they were transported to Nigeria.

Another returnee, Harira Muhammad from Borno State, said she travelled to Libya eight months ago to support her husband, who sustained a leg fracture during a Boko Haram attack.

She said bandits attacked them during the journey and collected their money, leaving them stranded.