The federal government has evacuated 542 Nigerians who were stranded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) back into the country.

The returnees, who consisted of 79 males, 460 females and 3 infants, arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja on board Maxair charted flight at about 4:29 am on Sunday, October 23.

They were received the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and airport officials, security agencies including the National Commission for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Nigerian Diaspora Commission, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigerian Customs Service, Port Health Services, National Centre Disease Control (NCDC).

The returnees were screened NCDC profiled various relevant agencies and cleared Nigerian Immigration Service.

In her remarks, the Consul General of Nigeria in Dubai Ambassador Atinuke Taibat, Mohammed who accompanied the returnees back on the flight appreciated the Federal Government for the special intervention in the safe evacuation of the stranded citizens back home.