The Federal Government has announced that it will start the process of removing Nigerian citizens and students from Sudan today, April 25.
According to news sources, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), revealed this in a Monday interview with BBC Africa.
The federal government has requested a safe passage for the evacuation of Nigerian students detained in Sudan, according to the former member of the House of Representatives.
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The first group of pupils, according to Dabiri-Erewa, would be driven by buses to the Egyptian border before being flown into Nigeria.
He said: “We are hoping that by tomorrow, the first set of buses will be leaving Khartoum heading toward some borders in Cairo…to evacuate the first set to a safe place where we can now airlift them back home to Nigeria.
“So, I know that the National Association of Nigerian Students actually sent a message and told all of them come somewhere so we can pay some fees but that was a dangerous move so they’ve all returned back to base and there’s a contact from the Nigerian mission in Sudan where there will be coming to.
“So, as soon as the buses are ready, like I said, most likely by tomorrow morning, they will convey them safely and that is the keyword.”
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Dabiri-Erewa stated that the evacuation process had been delayed because the federal government had yet to hear from Sudan’s army and the RSF for safe passage.
She said: “Now, here is the thing, why are we waiting? Because we must ensure that we get the permission of the military on both sides. Now, we have a large number of Nigerian students, we’re talking of thousands, nothing less than 3,500 that are stranded there so we’re conveying them in a whole lot of buses. Imagine seeing 10 buses without any security, you’re putting them in harm’s way.
“So we want to ensure that there’s safety and security, so by tomorrow morning, we believe that they’ll now go en route to Egypt and get to two borders there and they’ll be in a safe location to return home.
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“Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs has contacted both sides of the divide and we have asked for a safe corridor for our students and that means to give us security.”
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