In a tweet on Sunday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, confirmed the arrival of the 160 Nigerians  to the country.

The Boeing 787 Ethiopian Airlines plane touched down at the Abuja airport at about 11a.m, hours after departing the Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.

According to him, “ET Flight 8509 conveying 160 Nigerian evacuees from the US has safely arrived Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja”.

The returnees comprise 92 males, 60 females, and eight infants.

The exercise was conducted by the health and airport officials among others on the ground to receive the returning travellers.

On disembarking from the plane, the returnees claimed their luggage right outside the plane before they boarded designated buses at the tarmac and were driven away.

They are to go into isolation for 14 days to be tested for COVID-19, while the passports of all 160 passengers were kept with the Nigeria Immigration Service for the period.