JUST IN: 311 Nigerians Arrive Abuja From UAE, 2,353 Evacuated So Far

About 311 Nigerians from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) touched down at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Saturday.

The Nigerian Government is trying to also evacuate those with expired visas in line with UAE’s August 17 directive.

The Nigeria in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) disclosed this on Saturday, adding that the total number of evacuees now stands at 2353.

“@emirates flight conveying 311 Evacuees arrive Nnamdi Azikiwe Int’l Airport, Abuja at about 1150HRS from the UAE, today Saturday, 8th of August, 2020.

“This brings the number of evacuees from the UAE to a total of 2,353 as the mission continues working to beat the August 17 deadline,” it tweeted.

In line with the evacuation protocol by the Covid-19 Presidential Taskforce, they would have to self-isolate for 14 days.

“They tested Negative to #COVID__19 and will now proceed on a 14-day SELF-ISOLATION,” it added.

Recall that UAE had on July 21, asked Nigeria’s diplomatic mission in the country that nationals with expired visas would have to leave by August 17.

However, UAE clarified that “travel between the UAE and Nigeria has remained limited due to the closure of Nigerian airspace, and the UAE Embassy in Abuja continues to work closely with the Nigerian Government to obtain the necessary approvals to facilitate travel between the countries.”

It stressed that due to the covid-19 pandemic, it ordered a “temporary suspension on issuing UAE visas for all nationalities as of March 17,2020.”