The first set of Nigerian evacuees from Ukraine has arrived in Abuja on Friday morning, according to an update by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) on its Twitter handle.
The report by Channels Television on Friday said that 416 Nigerians from Romania landed at the private jet terminal of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja by 7:10 am (WAT) via a Max Air flight on Friday.
It noted that the passengers are mostly students, who fled Ukraine to Romania following Russia’s invasion of the Eastern European country.
They were received by government officials and are expected to undergo documentation after which they will head home and self-isolate in line with the COVID-19 protocols.
According to the report, the Nigerian government will give the evacuees some money to enable them to get to their destinations.
The report added that asides from Romania, the pickup flights will evacuate Nigerians from Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary.
The officials at Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had earlier said about 5, 000 Nigerians were eligible for evacuation from the warring region and that the country will spend $8.5 million on the evacuation exercise.
GIK/APA