Four hundred Nigerians have been deported from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and have arrived in Abuja, according to a report by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).
The deportees, consisting of 90 females and 310 males, were received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport by officials from the Office of the National Security Adviser, working alongside the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and other relevant stakeholders.
This deportation comes amid ongoing diplomatic tensions between Nigeria and the UAE. The UAE imposed a visa ban on Nigerians nearly two years ago due to unresolved diplomatic disputes. One significant issue was the suspension of Dubai’s Emirates Airline flights to Nigeria after the Central Bank of Nigeria was unable to remit approximately $850 million in revenue to the UAE.
In June, following multiple rounds of negotiations, the Nigerian government assured citizens that the visa ban would soon be lifted, with Nigeria reportedly having settled 98% of the $850 million owed to the UAE. Despite the deportations, earlier reports suggested progress in diplomatic relations, with the UAE announcing the lifting of travel restrictions on Nigerians in July 2024.
This deportation highlights the ongoing strain in relations between the two countries, despite recent efforts to resolve key disputes.
