The National Emergency Management Agency, on Wednesday, said it repatriated 975 stranded Nigerians from the Niger Republic in 2023.
This was as the agency advised Nigerian youths to stop endangering their lives by engaging in irregular migration in search of greener pastures in other countries.
The returnees comprised 561 male, 152 female adults and 262 children from Enugu, Kaduna, Kano, Borno, Yobe, Sokoto and Bauchi states.
The NEMA Coordinator, Kano Territorial Office, Dr Nuradeen Abdullahi, disclosed in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Kano.
Abdullahi said the returnees were brought back under the care of the International Organisation for Migration from Niamey, Niger’s capital, through a voluntary repatriation programme.
Abdullahi said, “The programme was for the distressed who had left the country to seek greener pastures in various European countries and could not afford to return when their journey became frustrating.
“There are opportunities in Nigeria, you don’t need to say you must have a white-collar job to survive, all you need is the determination to survive.
“If you must travel abroad, do so legally and through the right channels to avoid falling prey to human traffickers and other forms of exploitation.”
He called for a massive campaign to sensitize the populace to the dangers of seeking greener pastures in other countries through illegal means.
Abdullahi said, “There is also a need for serious surveillance at our borders to prevent the returnees from going out through the borders.