By PHILOMINA ATTAH

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Nigeria?s embassy in Bangui, has evacuated 11 stranded Nigerian miners from the Central African Republic (CAR).

The miners were abandoned by their employer in the remote town of Bambari, after a distress video pleading for help went viral on social media.

A Sky Airlines Boeing 747-200 aircraft, registration number ET-AXO, conveying the returnees landed in Abuja at exactly 4:45 p.m. on Thursday.

From the international wing, they were moved to the Hajj Terminal for formal reception, immigration clearance, and screening by relevant security agencies.

In the viral video, the miners alleged abandonment and maltreatment by a Chinese mining company that recruited them for work in the French-speaking African nation.

The footage showed six men appealing to Nigerians to help spread their message and draw the Federal Government?s attention to their plight.

Their location was later identified as Senye, a village in the Bambari region of CAR.

They were accompanied to Nigeria by the Nigerian Ambassador to CAR, Mr. Babagana Ahmed.

Welcoming them at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, NEMA Director-General, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, commended the swift inter-agency response to the miners? distress call.

Represented by Air Commodore Kenneth Oyong, Director of Search and Rescue, she said security agencies, including the Office of the National Security Adviser and the National Intelligence Agency, played key roles.

She noted the miners, who endured months of hardship without pay, were first relocated to the Nigerian ambassador?s residence in Bangui, where they received care before arrangements for return.

On arrival in Nigeria, the miners were given meals, overnight accommodation, and money to assist in reconnecting with their families.

She reaffirmed the Federal Government?s commitment to protecting Nigerians abroad, in line with President Bola Tinubu?s vision for prompt attention to citizens in distress overseas.

Ambassador Ahmed confirmed the successful rescue and evacuation of 11 Nigerians stranded for eight months in a remote forest village under the Bambari region, 850 kilometres from Bangui.

He recalled a viral video of July 24, 2025, in which the stranded Nigerians pleaded for urgent evacuation from Senye village.

They had been recruited to work at mining sites but were later abandoned by their employer in the isolated forest area.

Following swift intervention by the Nigerian Embassy, relevant CAR authorities, and the employer, the nationals were rescued and evacuated to Bangui on July 28.

Since then, the embassy has provided them with accommodation, food, medical care, and other essential welfare support.

The mission thanked the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Office of the National Security Adviser, NEMA, embassy staff, and all stakeholders for their commitment to the evacuation process.

?This rescue demonstrates the power of timely intervention and collaboration to safeguard Nigerians in distress,? Ahmed said.

One of the repatriated miners, Oluremi Peters, recounted being stranded in CAR with colleagues.

Peters said they were invited to CAR by a Nigerian associate and a Chinese national, who promised lucrative mining work.

He said they arrived in September 2024 but were left idle for four months, with assurances that equipment would arrive soon.

During this period, they were arrested by CAR police, suspected of printing money or being bandits, and detained for 16 days.

After release, they worked on a road project and later at a mining site, facing payment disputes with the employer.

?We were promised 450,000 CFA francs monthly, but received only 300,000 CFA for the first month and partial pay for the second,? he said.

Frustrated, they made a video appeal to the Nigerian government, which he believes prompted swift intervention and repatriation.

Peters thanked the Nigerian government and the CAR embassy for their support.

He advised young Nigerians to research thoroughly and secure concrete offers before accepting overseas work.

The miners? safe repatriation reflects the administration?s resolve to protect its citizens wherever they are.

Peters said the government?s swift action was commended as proof of its commitment to citizens? safety and welfare abroad. (NAN)

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