The US Mission in Nigeria on Thursday said it has evacuated 997 Americans out of Nigeria.
According to the mission, 850 American citizens were evacuated from Lagos, and 147 from Abuja in three charted flights.
Claire Pierangelo, US cosular general in Nigeria in a statement, said the move is to help the Americans reunite with their families and loved ones in the United States.
She further noted that in times of emergency, the United States Department of State has no greater priority than the safety and security of its citizens overseas.
Her statement read in part, “This has been three weeks in the making. We had more than 50 people working on this on a daily basis to make sure that we can find the Americans, get the planes, secure flight clearances for the planes to land here and also ensure safe passage of the Americans traveling to the airport since the city is on lockdown.”
“It was an enormous effort and I am incredibly proud of my team. We appreciate all the help from our Nigerian partners. We couldn’t have done this without them.”
According to Pierangelo, the mission remains committed to working closely with Nigeria and the various health authorities to keep everyone healthy and safe amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Leave a Reply