The Federal Government has announced that the Nigeria Air Force (NAF C-130H) plane and Air Peace planes have been cleared to fly Egyptian airspace for the evacuation of Nigerians stranded in Sudan.
According to The Guardian, the FG confirmed this in a joint press statement issued to newsmen by the Permanent Secretaries of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Janet Olisa, and that of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr. Sani Gwarzo in Abuja on Saturday.
The statement read, “Arrangements have been concluded to airlift all Nigerians that have already escaped on their own to safety in countries neighbouring Sudan.
“However, forty buses have been secured in Sudan to convey the students and other Nigerians from Khartoum to Aswan border in Egypt which is one of the identified safe reception borders, as at time of this statement, first batch of buses had already departed Khartoum.
”Some Nigerian students who found their way to the Ethiopian border were allowed entry into Ethiopia, following the interventions of some Nigerian leaders.
“The students are in safe condition. Similarly, another group of Nigerians assisted by government of United Arab Emirate have arrived Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and arrangement are being made to return them back home.”
Concerning the issues of non-payment and fleeing embassy officials which delayed the evacuation on Friday, the FG said the initial hitches during transportation of stranded Nigerian students from Khartoum where bus drivers stopped and dropped the students over non-payment transport fees had been resolved.
It also assured that a Situation Room had been set-up to monitor the evacuation exercise, chaired by Gwarzo.
