The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has received 542 stranded Nigerians from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The NEMA spokesperson, Manzo Ezekiel, disclosed this via a statement issued on Sunday.

Ezekiel noted that the returnees arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on board Max Air Charted flight at 4:29 a.m.

He stated that the returnees included 79 males, 460 females and three infants, adding that they were screened by health officials, profiled by various relevant agencies and cleared by the Nigerian Immigration Service before being given a token to aid their transportation to their destinations by NEMA.

The NEMA Director-General, Mustapha Ahmed,, who officially received the returnees on behalf of the Federal Government, urged them to learn from their experiences and be law abiding citizens.

READ ALSO: Okowa: Why NDDC, federal agencies failed under APC

Ahmed, who was represented by the Director of Finance and Account of the agency, Sani Jiba, stated that the Federal Government has approved the evacuation and provision of the token to support their movement back to their various homes.

The Consul General of Nigeria in Dubai, Amb. Atinuke Mohammed, who accompanied the stranded Nigerians back to the country, appreciated the Federal Government for the special intervention in the safe evacuation of the citizens.

The returnees were received by officials of NEMA, Airport officials, security agencies, National Commission for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), NAPTIP, NIDCOM, NDLEA, Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigerian Custom Service, NCDC, Port Health Services, among others.

The Star