No fewer than 256 evacuated Nigerians have arrived in Lagos State from the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.
They arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, via an Emirates Airline about 07.40pm.
The PUNCH reports that upon their arrival, the evacuees are expected to proceed into 14-day isolation.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, confirmed their arrival.
“The flight conveying 256 Nigerians evacuated from Dubai has landed Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos,” he said.
The returnees had been scheduled to arrive at the airport at 3.00 p.m. but one of the passengers went into labour.
According to the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, the plane had to make a U-turn to the United Arab Emirates.
A press statement from NIDCOm read, “A Nigerian lady, Mrs Kafayat Amusan, one of the stranded Nigerians travellers, returning from Dubai, UAE, has been delivered of a baby boy on board Emirates airline departing to Lagos.”
The Chairman of NIDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, also confirmed the evacuees’ arrival in Lagos.
She also congratulated Amusan for another addition in her family and prayed she return safely to the country.
“Welcome home! They will be proceeding to a location for compulsory isolation. All 256 tested negative for COVID-19 before boarding from Dubai,” she added.
Inclusivenews gathers that other Nigerians are expected to be evacuated within the next few days.
According to Onyeama, over 4,000 Nigerians are waiting to be evacuated across the world back home.