While speaking to journalists on Wednesday in Abuja, a federal government official disclosed that 75 Nigerian World Cup fans who were stranded in Russia have absconded.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says 75 out of 230 stranded Nigerian Football fans absconded in Russia after the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The ministry’s spokesperson, Dr. Tope Elias-Fatile, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja that the fans absconded despite government’s efforts to repatriate them.

Fatile said that 230 stranded Nigerian football fans were profiled to board chartered Ethiopian Airline to Abuja but at the last minute, only 155 boarded the flight.

“As at the last count, over 230 stranded Nigerians had been cleared to board an Ethiopian Airline flight to Abuja; however, only 155 boarded the flight that arrived Friday night of July 22,” he said.

He said that the ministry officials had to contribute to feed some of the stranded Nigerians in Moscow as many of them were left with nothing.

He said that though they had the rights not to come back but it would be better for them to return because of the unfavorable weather in that country.

He said that the mission had done a lot to facilitate their coming back but they did not appreciate it.

”Do you know that the officials at mission have to sacrifice their earning by contributing money to feed the stranded fans,” he said.

He said that if, however, they repented and decided to come back, the ministry was ever ready to assist them.

Fatile said that Federal Government was ever willing to assist Nigerians at anytime, anywhere in the world

The spokesperson said that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, had also made some contacts with relevant agencies to commence investigation into suspected human trafficking in the case.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the stranded football fans including a nursing mother in her mid-thirties arrived Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport Abuja at about 9.12 p.m. on July 20.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, who was at the airport to monitor their arrival, had said that the Federal Government was going to probe the case.

He said that government had resolved to investigate suspected human trafficking in the case of the Nigerian football fans, who got stranded in Russia after the World Cup tournament.

Onyeama said that the plan to probe the issue surrounding the incident was underway.

He said after a discussion with the Director-General of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, Ms Julie Okah–Donli, it was clear that there were possible cases of human trafficking among the returnees.

“I have spoken to the D-G of NAPTIP and she had also indicated that they had sounded the alarm bells for these young children not to leave the country, that it had all the hallmarks of trafficking and irregular migration,” he said.

The minister insisted that some of them, among who was a nursing mother, were quite too young to have travelled to Russia by themselves solely for the purpose of the World Cup tournament.

He added that an investigation would also be launched into an allegation that some travel agents cancelled the return tickets of the football fans without informing them, leaving them stranded in the European country.

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Source: https://www.nigeriapen.com.ng/despite-fgs-intervention-75-stranded-world-cup-fans-absconded-in-russia/

See More Photos Below...

Source: https://www.nigeriapen.com.ng/despite-fgs-intervention-75-stranded-world-cup-fans-absconded-in-russia/

We die here

Get that visa

Seriously?

Why wont they abscond wen we wey dey naija ey find visa to run comot? My prayer is to have UK visa before 2019 election, after voting for Buhari, I'll enter plane the nxt day. By d tym I'm coming back, I'll be coming bk to federal republic of Biafra

Anything to escape from Nigeria's unfavourable economy. But they should know that Russia no be country to joke with.

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Lol

so after watching the world cup live, the world cup is now watching them, na wa o

if to say na america host the world cup now, nobody for come back at all

Who would want to come back to this cursed country?

They'll end up in Gulag

Russia no be where dem dey disappear illegally.. when better cold freeze all their blockus finish, na dem go use their hand call FG

Who were those that returned the other day?




check my SIGNATURE

What are they coming back to? A responsible government would have settled them with some cash to start a good life but no this government wont because as usual you dont care about the citizens. Nonsense

even if it is me, i will not come back to this fvcked up country OP

A man who encourages you to study and work hard is better that a man who buys you expensive wigs to put on your empty head my sister..

Why on earth will they return to this Jungle. Kudos to those smart lads.

Why Should they return to the Zoo? Who no like better thing? As for the weather thing leave that one aside. Nigerians were made for the worst weathers

mosegifted:
even if it is me, i will not come back to this fvcked up country OP

better to be free in Nigeria than be a slave in russia

Come back to where ?


out of the 75,,believe me ,68 are from IBO ,and by December about 50 of them will come back to Nigeria with Benz.


PROUD DEVELOPERS,


MAKING THEIR COUNTRY PROUD,since the country has nothing to offer them other than free flight

I hope they won't come back tomorrow asking government to come to their aid, as they have rebuffed this opportunity.

They may regret that decision

Well, Russia will not grant them asylum whatsoever, so this is a huge risk on their part. Do they know how to speak Russian? Have they secured employment? All the best to them anyways.

hmmm

Elpinto:
They'll end up in Gulag

what's wrong with you dude ....

Only if they know the country they are joking with...Russia?
But is any country worse than Nigeria?

. Na. Today... lol we die in russia.. ;from Russia they wil go to finland or poland.. one of the two country wil grant them asylum.

Hmmm

Never!...not like in Nigeria where dicks & Harry can hide themselves from other country to make a mess..

the Russian dogs will soon find them out...and if care is not taken, they will tastes some days in jail ...before they are sent back to 9ja

like a parcel......their bayobayo abracadabra...will not work against the Russian security..

Lorenzop:
What are they coming back to? A responsible government would have settled them with some cash to start a good life but no this government wont because as usual you dont care about the citizens. Nonsense

hmmm

KazeemIbrahim1:
Who would want to come back to this cursed country?

Ask the guys that came from Libya.

People get mind sha, in a country with 0 guarantee of making ends meet considering status. The money they used to make the trip to russia, why didn't they use it to start something. Stupidity really get levels.

Imagine USA hosting World Cup