THE Kano state government on Tuesday received 310 indigenes recently repatriated from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by the federal government at the end of their quarantine.
They were quarantined for two weeks at the FCT Muslim Pilgrims Hajj in Abuja.
Handing over the returnees to the state government, the director, consular and legal department in the ministry of foreign affairs, Bolaji Akinremi, said the returnees were well catered for by the federal government and have all tested negative to coronavirus before being discharged.
The director-general, Kano Investment Promotion Agency and Diaspora, Hama Aware Mohammed, who received them on behalf of state government, assured that Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje will ensure that they are rehabilitated and reintegrated back to society.
“The state government is ever ready to receive them and make home (Kano) better for them than where they came from,” Mohammed said.
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The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM)revealed via a tweet on Tuesday that the 310 returnees are among 1, 319 stranded Nigerians evacuated from Saudi Arabia in January, against the 808 figure it announced last month.
No official explanation has been provided for the increase in number. Responding to The ICIR inquiry, chief information officer, NIDCOM, Violet Nwosu, referred our reporter to the Ministry for all enquiries regarding evacuation.
“In response to your question, I wish to let you know that all issues concerning evacuation should be referred to the ministry of foreign affairs as they are the ones that handle such matters and NAPTIP in cases of trafficking and migration,” she told the ICIR through an email.
On the number of Nigerians deported within the last six months – one year, Nwosu said: “The figure is not yet out but you can check on the CBN/World Bank website in case of any further enquiries”.
As at the time of filing this report, there has been no official response from the ministry of foreign affairs.