“We Just Wanted a Better Life” 104 Nigerians Return from Algeria After Rough Journey Abroad
For 104 Nigerians, Sunday night marked more than just a flight home , it was a second chance at life.
After battling harsh conditions, fear, and broken promises in Algeria, these returnees including 80 men, 14 women, and 10 children finally landed at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, weary but relieved.
Their stories are similar: dreams of greener pastures across the border, only to face unpaid jobs, cramped shelters, detention, and constant fear of deportation. Some were stranded for months. Others hadn’t spoken to their families in over a year.
> “I just wanted to work and send money home. I never imagined it would be like this,” one returnee said with tears in his eyes.
Thanks to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the group was brought home under a voluntary return program that helps stranded migrants escape unsafe conditions abroad.
They were welcomed with medical care, food, and temporary shelter—but the bigger journey is just beginning: rebuilding their lives from the ground up.
Ibrahim Farinloye, NEMA’s Lagos coordinator, called it a “timely rescue” and urged others planning to migrate to avoid dangerous backdoor routes and seek legal, informed options.
> “They left chasing dreams but returned chasing survival,” he said. “Now it’s time to help them find new hope here at home.”
With over 70 million Nigerians already living in poverty, the government says it’s working on reintegration programs and job support to help returnees restart.
For these 104 Nigerians, it’s not just about coming back ;it’s about starting over.
For 104 Nigerians, Sunday night marked more than just a flight home , it was a second chance at life.
After battling harsh conditions, fear, and broken promises in Algeria, these returnees including 80 men, 14 women, and 10 children finally landed at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, weary but relieved.
Their stories are similar: dreams of greener pastures across the border, only to face unpaid jobs, cramped shelters, detention, and constant fear of deportation. Some were stranded for months. Others hadn’t spoken to their families in over a year.
> “I just wanted to work and send money home. I never imagined it would be like this,” one returnee said with tears in his eyes.
Thanks to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the group was brought home under a voluntary return program that helps stranded migrants escape unsafe conditions abroad.
They were welcomed with medical care, food, and temporary shelter—but the bigger journey is just beginning: rebuilding their lives from the ground up.
Ibrahim Farinloye, NEMA’s Lagos coordinator, called it a “timely rescue” and urged others planning to migrate to avoid dangerous backdoor routes and seek legal, informed options.
> “They left chasing dreams but returned chasing survival,” he said. “Now it’s time to help them find new hope here at home.”
With over 70 million Nigerians already living in poverty, the government says it’s working on reintegration programs and job support to help returnees restart.
For these 104 Nigerians, it’s not just about coming back ;it’s about starting over.
“We Just Wanted a Better Life” 104 Nigerians Return from Algeria After Rough Journey Abroad
For 104 Nigerians, Sunday night marked more than just a flight home , it was a second chance at life.
After battling harsh conditions, fear, and broken promises in Algeria, these returnees including 80 men, 14 women, and 10 children finally landed at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, weary but relieved.
Their stories are similar: dreams of greener pastures across the border, only to face unpaid jobs, cramped shelters, detention, and constant fear of deportation. Some were stranded for months. Others hadn’t spoken to their families in over a year.
> “I just wanted to work and send money home. I never imagined it would be like this,” one returnee said with tears in his eyes.
Thanks to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the group was brought home under a voluntary return program that helps stranded migrants escape unsafe conditions abroad.
They were welcomed with medical care, food, and temporary shelter—but the bigger journey is just beginning: rebuilding their lives from the ground up.
Ibrahim Farinloye, NEMA’s Lagos coordinator, called it a “timely rescue” and urged others planning to migrate to avoid dangerous backdoor routes and seek legal, informed options.
> “They left chasing dreams but returned chasing survival,” he said. “Now it’s time to help them find new hope here at home.”
With over 70 million Nigerians already living in poverty, the government says it’s working on reintegration programs and job support to help returnees restart.
For these 104 Nigerians, it’s not just about coming back ;it’s about starting over.
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