400 Nigerians deported from UAE arrive in Abuja

A total of 400 Nigerians have been deported from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and have arrived in Nigeria, according to a report by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).

The deportees were received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja by officials from several agencies, including the Office of the National Security Adviser, the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, and the National Emergency Management Agency.

“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 news media said in a Wednesday post on X.

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 $85 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.

The recent deportation of 400 Nigerians comes amid these lingering diplomatic tensions, even as both nations have reportedly 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.