At least 1,100 Nigerian migrants have returned to the country from Agadez in the Niger Republic by road and are currently undergoing documentation and reintegration processes in Kano State, the Nigeria Immigration Service has confirmed.
The returnees arrived on Friday and were received by officials from multiple federal and state agencies who have been deployed to manage their screening, counselling, and reintegration into society.
The Commandant of the Immigration Training School, Kano, Anthony Akuneme, disclosed this in a statement shared with journalists, noting that the migrants are being processed through established migration management systems designed to ensure safe and coordinated reintegration.
According to him, the returnees were first documented using the Migration Information and Data Analysis System at the Migrants Arrival, Knowledge and Information Area before being moved to the International Transit and Stay of Knowledge centre for further profiling and psychosocial support.
“Personnel of KNSC, MAKIA and ITSK are fully on ground with other relevant federal and state agencies to ensure hitch-free and safe processing,” Akuneme stated.
He explained that the processing centres serve as structured hubs where returnees are profiled, counselled, and linked to reintegration support services provided by government agencies and international partners.
Akuneme added that the reintegration framework is a collaborative effort involving the Nigeria Immigration Service, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and relevant state institutions.
He noted that the return of migrants from Agadez reflects ongoing movement along the Sahel migration corridor, which has historically served as a major route for West Africans attempting to travel through Niger and Libya toward Europe.
“Agadez remains a key transit point for irregular migration in West Africa, and many of those returning are young Nigerians who had hoped to reach Europe but became stranded due to financial constraints or changing migration conditions,” he said.
Officials explained that many of the returnees are part of a broader humanitarian pattern involving assisted returns coordinated by international partners after migrants face detention, lack of resources, or disruption of smuggling networks along the route.
The NIS further noted that agencies involved in the exercise will continue to provide psychosocial counselling and reintegration assistance to help the returnees rebuild their lives in their home communities.
