From Usman Abubakar, Maiduguri
Five hundred and sixty-three Nigerian nationals resident in Ndjamena, capital of Chad, have been sent back home by that francophone Central African nation due to the lack of proper resident documents.
They hail from Borno, Kano, Jigawa, Sokoto, Bauchi, Gombe and Adamawa states, according to Borno State Emergency Management Agency officials.
The officials could not, however, give the breakdown of the 563 according to the affected states.
Chadian immigration officials carted them in several vehicles to the Nigeria-Chad Nigerian immigration border post at Gamboru, Borno State, last weekend, after pooling them in an asylum for about 40 days at a location in Ndjamena.
From Gamboru, Nigerian immigration officials carted them in two large trucks to Maiduguri, Sunday, November 17, depositing them at the federal government in the metropolis.
At the behest of Borno State governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, who was immediately alerted on their arrival, the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), received and catered for them, and hired vehicles to transport them to their respective home states.
“We were reliably informed that they were residing there in Chad without proper documents,” Dr. Mohammed Saidu Barkindo, Director-General Borno SEMA, disclosed to Peoples Daily, Monday, November 18.
“Immediately they arrived Maiduguri, the governor directed us to screen and profile them to separate Borno State indigenes from others hailing from other states,” he said.
“While Borno State indigenes among them are treated separately, the governor directed us to serve all those from other states yesterday’s dinner and today’s breakfast of bread and sardines,” Barkindo said after catering for the sacked residents.
“we have hired various sizes of vehicles to immediately transport them to their respective home states according to their populations,” the Borno SEMA DG disclosed further.
Apparently rebuking them for residing in Chad without proper documents, Barkindo warned them to obtain such documents before seeking residence in any other country.
“I was sleeping in my residence when I was suddenly woken up and ordered out; and then herded to where we were gathered, where I spent 35 days, maltreated for lack of documents, without proper feeding and basic care,” Mohammed Lawal, hailing from Goronyo, Sokoto State, who had resided in Chad for seven months, told our correspondent.
Garba Abubakar, Maryam Mohammed and Aisha Garba, all from Kano State, and Mustapha Musa from Jigawa State, echoed Mohammed about their plight.
