No fewer than 13,635 stranded Nigerians were repatriated from 10 countries within a three-year period, according to data compiled from media reports and official records of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM).

The data showed that the repatriations took place from Libya, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Ghana, Niger Republic, Algeria, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mali.

In 2025, a total of 3,358 Nigerians were repatriated from five countries. The breakdown indicated that 1,773 returnees came from Libya, 1,188 from the Niger Republic, 153 from Chad, 140 from Sudan, and 104 from Algeria.

In 2024, authorities evacuated 4,261 stranded Nigerians from eight countries. These included 1,821 from Libya, 1,088 from the Niger Republic, 673 from Chad, 338 from Mali, 263 from Côte d’Ivoire, 190 from the United Arab Emirates, 122 from Ghana, and 29 from Sudan.

Similarly, in 2023, a total of 5,753 Nigerians were repatriated from four countries, comprising 2,849 from Sudan, 1,916 from Libya, 975 from the Niger Republic, and 13 from Saudi Arabia.

Amid the recurring evacuations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2025 reiterated its warning to Nigerians—particularly youths—against falling prey to fraudulent overseas job offers.

The ministry’s spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, urged citizens to verify foreign employment opportunities through official and authorised channels before making travel arrangements.

Also speaking on the issue, Minister of Youth Development Ayodele Olawande cautioned young Nigerians against irregular migration, highlighting the serious risks associated with it.

Olawande noted that while legal and regulated migration remains a natural aspect of human development, irregular migration, which occurs outside established legal and regulatory frameworks, poses grave dangers to individuals, communities, and national development.