The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission has said an Air Peace aircraft is in the process of evacuating stranded Nigerians in Malaysia and Thailand.
This was made known through the Twitter handle of NIDCOM on Saturday morning.
NIDCOM tweeted: “Chartered @airpeace flight APK-7813 conveying Stranded Nigerians from Malaysia and Thailand departing Kaula Lumpur to Abuja and Lagos today with Evacuees from Malaysia and Thailand onboard.”
This is the first evacuation from both countries since the coronavirus pandemic instigated lockdowns across the world, according to NIDCOM.
The flight is expected to depart at 7am and first arrive at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, before proceeding to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
According to NIDCOM, all evacuees have tested negative to COVID-19 and will proceed on a 14-day self-isolation on arrival.
Thousands of Nigerians have been evacuated back home from across the world since the pandemic disrupted world travel.
In early June, the Federal Government said it has spent N169 million on the evacuation of Nigerians returning from overseas.