Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission has revealed that a Nigerian woman on Wednesday, gave birth to baby mid-air on the repatriation flight from the United Arab Emirates.
She said the woman was delivered of a baby boy and both son and mother were doing well at a hospital in Dubai.
The news came just as 265 Nigerians arrived Lagos from Dubai on Wednesday as part of efforts to bring Nigerians willing to come back into the country amid the coronavirus pandemic.
They arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, via an Emirates Airline about 07.40 pm.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, confirmed their arrival.
“The flight conveying 256 Nigerians evacuated from Dubai has landed Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos,” he said.
The returnees had been scheduled to arrive at the airport at 3.00 p.m. but one of the passengers went into labour.
According to the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, the plane had to make a U-turn to the United Arab Emirates.
A press statement from NIDCOm read, “A Nigerian lady, Mrs Kafayat Amusan, one of the stranded Nigerians travellers, returning from Dubai, UAE, has been delivered of a baby boy on board Emirates airline departing to Lagos.”
The Chairman of NIDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, also confirmed the evacuees’ arrival in Lagos.
She also congratulated Amusan for another addition in her family and prayed she return safely to the country.
“Welcome home! They will be proceeding to a location for compulsory isolation. All 256 tested negative for COVID-19 before boarding from Dubai,” she added
