Many American nationals were on Friday stranded at 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 MMIA and were made to wait for several hours.

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.

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.

Punch