The Federal Government has received more than 1,100 Nigerians who returned from Agadez in the Republic of Niger and has started the process of reuniting them with their families. The returnees arrived in Kano by road on Friday and were immediately taken through documentation and support procedures coordinated by federal and state agencies.

On arrival, the migrants were processed through the Migration Information and Data Analysis System at the Migrants Arrival, Knowledge and Information Area centre. From there they were moved to the International Transit and Stay of Knowledge Centre in Kano for final profiling, psychosocial counselling, and reintegration assistance. The Commandant of the Immigration Training School in Kano, Anthony Akuneme, said personnel from the Kano Nationality Sortation Centre, MAKIA, ITSK and other relevant agencies were on ground to ensure the process was orderly and safe.

The reintegration programme is being jointly managed by the Nigeria Immigration Service, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, the International Organization for Migration, and state government partners. Officials said the effort covers documentation, counselling, and linking the returnees with services to help them settle back into their communities.

Agadez, located in northern Niger, has for years served as a major transit hub for West Africans attempting to reach Libya and Europe through the Mediterranean. Many of the returnees were stranded after facing financial hardship, detention, or the collapse of smuggling networks. Although Niger introduced anti-smuggling laws after 2015 that reduced movement along the route, irregular migration has persisted. Nigerians make up a significant share of those returning from the Agadez corridor.

Friday’s arrival is part of ongoing assisted and voluntary returns from Niger. Government agencies said the returnees would be discharged and reunited with their families after completing the necessary procedures at the transit centre.

Source: Punch News