The United States on Thursday announced the evacuation of 997 of its citizens from Nigeria.

The US mission in Nigeria made this known in a statement.

The mission said the evacuation was to help the Americans reunite with their families and loved ones in the United States.

According to the mission, three chartered flights repatriated 850 American citizens from Lagos, while 147 were evacuated from Abuja.

Claire Pierangelo, US consul general, said the United States Department of State, in times of emergency, has no greater priority than the safety and security of its citizens overseas.

“This has been three weeks in the making. We had more than 50 people working on this on a daily basis to make sure that we can find the Americans, get the planes, secure flight clearances for the planes to land here and also ensure safe passage of the Americans traveling to the airport since the city is on lockdown,” Pierangelo said.

“It was an enormous effort and I am incredibly proud of my team. We appreciate all the help from our Nigerian partners. We couldn’t have done this without them.”

She said the mission remains committed to working closely with Nigeria and the various health authorities to keep everyone healthy and safe amid the COVID-19 pandemic