The first batch of 160 Nigerians stranded in the United States as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has arrived in Abuja.
The 160 returnees include eight infants, and are the first group to arrive the country.
They arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at around 11.05 am on Sunday, May 10, 2020.
The returnees made the trip aboard an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 aircraft under special flight arrangements by the Federal Government for nationals stranded abroad.
While confirming their arrival, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama said:
ET Flight 8509 conveying 160 Nigerian evacuees from the US has safely arrived Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.”
The plane departed the Newark International Airport, New Jersey on Saturday at about 8.20pm local time.
Onyeama added that on arrival, the 160 Nigerians would go into quarantine for 14 days in Abuja before leaving for their respective destinations in the country.
