COVID-19: 311 Nigerians Return From UAE, Land In Abuja

As the COVID-19 epidemic continues to wreak havoc around the world, 311 Nigerians have arrived in the capital Abuja, from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Nigerian Indigenous Peoples Organization (NIDCOM) made the announcement on Saturday, on its Twitter account. With this the number of Nigerians deported from the UAE is 2,353 while the rest of the Nigerians trapped in the kingdom are expected to be repatriated.

“The Fly Emirates flight carrying 311 passengers arrived at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at about 11:50 pm on Saturday, July 8, 2020, from the UAE,” NIDCOM said. The returnees are expected to be able to stay in solitary confinement to meet the requirements of the Presidential Commission and the NCDC to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The returnees were tested and found to be free of COVID-19, but will still be locked up for 14 days to confirm the test. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 around the world, thousands of Nigerians living abroad have been successfully repatriated. In early June, the federal government said it had spent N169m on transporting Nigerians from home to Nigeria.