A total of 13,635 Nigerians who found themselves stranded abroad were brought back home from 10 different countries over a three-year period, according to findings by Saturday PUNCH, highlighting the scale of consular interventions and repatriation efforts in recent years.
Data obtained from media reports and the official websites of the International Organisation for Migration, the National Emergency Management Agency and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission showed that the repatriations were carried out from Libya, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Ghana, the Niger Republic, Algeria, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire and Mali.
In 2025, a total of 3,358 stranded Nigerians were repatriated from five countries.
The figures showed that 1,188 Nigerians were returned from the Niger Republic, 1,773 from Libya, 140 from Sudan, 153 from Chad and 104 from Algeria.
In 2024, 4,261 stranded Nigerians were evacuated from seven countries.
According to the breakdown, 29 Nigerians were evacuated from Sudan, 1,088 from the Niger Republic, 1,821 from Libya, 190 from the United Arab Emirates, 122 from Ghana, 338 from Mali and 673 from Chad, and 263 from Côte d’Ivoire.
Similarly, in 2023, a total of 5,753 stranded Nigerians were evacuated from four countries.
This included 2,849 from Sudan, 1,916 from Libya, 975 from the Niger Republic and 13 from Saudi Arabia.
In 2025, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated its warning to citizens, especially youths, about falling victim to fraudulent job offers that promise opportunities abroad.
The Ministry’s spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa, advised “Nigerians to exercise caution and verify overseas employment offers through official channels.”
Similarly, the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, warned youths against irregular migration, enumerating the inherent dangers associated with it.
Olawande said that migration, in its legal and regulated form, remains a natural part of human development.
He explained that irregular migration, which occurs outside legal frameworks and regulatory norms of countries, presents a significant risk to lives, communities, and national development.
