Many American nationals were on Friday stranded at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
It was gathered that the aircraft that was supposed to evacuate them from Nigeria failed to arrive.
Sources said the aircraft was forced to return to the US after takeoff due to issues with the crew.
The US nationals were said to have already checked in at the MMIA and were made to wait for several hours.
The General Manager, Public Affairs of
the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, who
confirmed the incident, said the aircraft did not arrive as expected.
“The passengers spent the whole day
waiting, finally they were all told to go home. They retrieved their
luggage and went home,” she said.
She said the agency was waiting for feedback on when the next flight would be arranged for the evacuation.
The US Consulate had in a circular, last
week, said it would evacuate American citizens in Abuja and Lagos who
were ready to return to the US due to the COVID -19 pandemic.
The consulate stated in the circular
that there were no scheduled flights to the United States but that it
was actively exploring options and attempting to secure flights despite
global airport closures and travel restrictions.
“We will email US citizens immediately
once we have flight details, routes, and costs. US citizens who are
considering returning to the United States are urged to travel to Abuja
or Lagos as soon as possible,” the consulate said.