The first batch of 376 Nigerian students trapped in war-torn Sudan has arrived in Abuja.
The students arrived at the Pilgrims Terminal of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja
at exactly 11:25 pm via the Air Peace Plane and the Nigeria Airforce Jet with the number NAF C-130.
The first batch of students were evacuated from the Aswan border of Egypt.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Umar Farouq; the Director General of NEMA; the Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, the Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons were on hand to receive the returnees.
BREAKING:
Nigerian Evacuees Arrive In AbujaThe first batch of Nigerians who fled war-torn Sudan arrived via military jet C13 at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at about 2340HRS with an estimate of 376 evacuees.
3rd of May, 2023.@NigeriaGov @FMICNigeria @channelstv… pic.twitter.com/ia8mdf9pvH
— Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (@nidcom_gov) May 4, 2023
#Sudan.Welcome home 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿 pic.twitter.com/lJg4WL2i0V
— Abike Dabiri-Erewa (@abikedabiri) May 4, 2023
Speaking shortly after their arrival, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management announced the donation of an N100,000 stipend to each of the returnees courtesy of the Dangote Foundation, while MTN Foundation doled out recharge cards worth N25,000 to each of the returnees.
She said the N100,000 stipend donated by Dangote Foundation was for the returnees to use as transport fare to travel to their various destinations with ease.
The minister further said that MTN also donated 25GB of data to each of the evacuees.
Also speaking, the Sudanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Mohammad Yusuf, said the situation in Sudan would soon be under control.
Yusuf expressed happiness that Nigeria was able to evacuate its citizens safely.
The envoy, who described Sudan as the second country to many Nigerians, said normalcy would be restored in the war-ravaged country soon.
The Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr Mustapha Ahmed, said that four more flights conveying Nigerians from Sudan are expected in Nigeria on Thursday.
“The situation in Sudan is real and terrible but we pray peace returns to that country. I am happy our people have started coming back.
“We are expecting about four flights tomorrow – three from Port Sudan and one from Aswan. So it is a process that has started and the tempo will keep on increasing.
“This is something that nobody expected and so we had to swing into action immediately.
“To get out of Sudan, we had to pay, to take our people to any other part, but we thank God that we can bring them back,” he said.
He assured the returnees that the remaining evacuees waiting to be transported back home would soon arrive.
NAN
