May 04, (THEWILL) – The First batch of Nigerian evacuees from Sudan has arrived in Abuja.
The returnees, ferried in a Naval Airplane as well as an Air Peace aircraft, were received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, in the early hours of Thursday.
Speaking with newsmen, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Mrs. Sadiya Umar-Farouq, disclosed that about 350 Nigerians were evacuated in the first batch.
“About 350 have arrived and we are expecting more than 1,000; it is a continuous process. The first batch has arrived and the planes are going back to get more,” she added.
The Minister thanked the President and other agencies involved in the exercise as well as Air Peace for their support.
“The situation in Sudan is very pathetic and as Nigerians, we should continue to pray for peace in our country,” she said, even as she attributed the delay encountered in evacuating the Nigerians to logistics challenges. “This war is in Sudan, but we move them to Egypt and we had to get clearance from the Egyptian authority,” she added.
One of the parents, who spoke with journalists, Mrs. S. Yerima Mohammed, said two of her children were in Sudan. She commended the Government for the effort, even as she revealed that she was traumatised by the outbreak of the crisis.
The Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said it was a huge relief to receive the returnees, bearing in mind what they went through in Sudan.
The flight bringing back the Nigerians from Sudan had been delayed as they were not allowed to board for hours as the Egyptian authorities denied the prospective passengers clearance to board as the numbers of passengers were far over the capacity of the flight.
The Nigerian in Diaspora Commission’s (NIDCOM) Sudan Situation Room had said, “There were hours of delays in boarding as the number of passengers did not match the capacity of the plane.
“Egypt authorities insisted no one will leave if the numbers are more than what the aircraft can take.”
The situation was, however, addressed later as the luggage was taken from the NAF aircraft into Air Peace cargo to create more space for passengers.
The Situation Room information read: “Took hours to address but now sorted, and the flight have airlifted the evacuees.”
