An aircraft conveying Nigerian citizens from Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) has made a U-turn after a pregnant woman gave birth to a baby mid-air.
Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa who made this known on Wednesday did not reveal the gender of the child but said the mother and baby are doing well.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, had said 265 Nigerians would arrive in Lagos from Dubai today as part of the effort to bring Nigerians willing to come back into the country amid the coronavirus pandemic.
It was gathered that the airline left Dubai for Lagos at 10am but an hour into the about eight-hour trip, the woman gave birth, forcing the pilots to return the plane to Dubai to disembark the mother and the new born.
The plane, which was scheduled to arrive at 3pm is now expected to land at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport at 7pm.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also in the process of evacuating other Nigerians abroad.
In accordance with Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) guidelines, the evacuees will undergo a mandatory 14-day supervised quarantine in a monitored environment.
According to Punch report, a source informed newsmen that all the passengers were tested and are COVID-19-free.
After weeks of delay, the first batch of Nigerians stuck abroad amid the coronavirus pandemic are expected in the country today.
The Emirates flight is expected to be the first of at least two other flights scheduled to evacuate other Nigerians within the next few days.
