A total of 400 Nigerians have been deported from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to a report by the National Television Authority (NTA).
The deportees, consisting of 90 females and 310 males, were eceived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, by officials fro, various government agencies, including the Office of the National Security Adviser and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons.
Other key stakeholders involved in receiving the deportees included the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
This follows the deportation of 190 Nigerians from the UAE in July 2024, amidst ongoing diplomatic crisis between the two nations.
The tensions escalated nearly two years ago when the UAE imposed a visa ban on Nigerians, following unresolved issues, including the inability of Nigeria’s Central Bank to remit $850 million in revenue owed to Dubai’s Emirates Airline.
The airline later suspended flights to Nigeria as a result.
However, in June, negotiations between the Nigerian government and UAE authorities led to assurances that the visa ban would soon be lifted. By July 2024, the UAE announced the removal of visa restrictions on Nigerians, although the recent deportations suggest continued diplomatic strain.