First Set of Evacuees From Sudan Expected Friday – NiDCOM

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission(NiDCOM) has announced that the first set of Nigerian evacuees from Sudan are expected to arrive in Nigeria on Friday.

Chairperson of NiDCOM, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, disclosed this to journalists at the 70th session of the State House Ministerial Briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

Dabiri-Erewa hinted that 13 buses have departed from two universities in the Sudanese Capital, Khartoum, ferrying Nigerian students to the Aswan border in Egypt, where they will be airlifted to Nigeria.

She also noted that the Nigerian embassy in Sudan has informed the Army and the Rapid Support Forces ahead to ensure safe passage for the evacuees.

Nigerians in Sudan are about 3 million-NiDCOM

Addressing the population of Nigerians in Sudan, Dabiri-Erewa revealed that although at least 5,500 Nigerian students are currently schooling in Sudan, the Nigerian population in the Horn country is about three million.

Furthermore, she noted that logistics challenges escalated when more Nigerians who had not been earlier documented for the exercise suddenly expressed interest to return home upon sighting some of the 40 busses.

Reacting to a video of a woman and others lamenting that the buses stopped halfway in the desert for five hours, NiDCOM’s Chairperson said she contacted the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the matter has been resolved.

She wrote in a tweet, “I have just spoken to @nemanigeriadg. He confirmed the buses have continued their Journey and said whatever issues have been resolved.”

Earlier, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama stated that the evacuation process is part of the government’s effort to repatriate Nigerian citizens stranded there since fighting broke out between the Military and the Rapid Support Forces on April 15. He made this statement after Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council meeting.