Odita Sunday 
1,100 Nigeria returnees from Agadez, Niger Republic, just landed Kano by Road
By Odita Sunday
No fewer than 1,100 Nigerian returnees from Agadez in the Niger Republic have arrived in Kano State by road amid renewed concerns over irregular migration and cross-border humanitarian challenges.
The returnees, comprising mainly young men alongside women and children, were received and documented by relevant authorities at designated reception centres in Kano for profiling and reintegration support.
Officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) said the exercise was coordinated in collaboration with humanitarian partners and migration agencies to ensure proper identification, medical support and safe reintegration of the returnees into their various communities.
Findings indicated that many of the migrants had embarked on irregular journeys through Niger Republic in search of greener pastures in North Africa and Europe before being stranded or forced to return due to tightening migration controls and worsening economic conditions along the route.
Sources familiar with the operation disclosed that the returnees were transported from Agadez, a major transit hub for African migrants heading towards Libya and Europe, before arriving Kano through approved land corridors.
Humanitarian agencies at the reception centres were also said to be providing food, temporary shelter, counselling and other basic assistance for the affected persons.
The development comes amid increasing efforts by Nigerian authorities and international organisations to discourage dangerous migration routes across the Sahara Desert and Mediterranean Sea, which have claimed thousands of lives over the years.
Officials urged Nigerian youths to embrace legal migration channels and government empowerment programmes instead of risking their lives through irregular migration networks.
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