Abuja – No fewer than four hundred Nigerians were deported from the United Arab Emirates, according to the West African country’s state broadcaster. They include 90 females and 310 males.
The deportees were received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, by officials from 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, the National Emergency Management Agency, and other relevant stakeholders, the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) reported.
In July 2024, the government repatriated a total of 190 Nigerians from the United Arab Emirates.
There is an ongoing diplomatic tension between Nigeria and the UAE, with the Arab country 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 (CBN) 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.