Every Nigerian in Sudan will be evacuated, according to the Federal Government, if four aircraft are made available to move at once.
After spending days attempting to flee the ongoing conflict, the first group of several Nigerians trapped in Sudan landed in Abuja on Wednesday.
More than 3,500 Nigerians are said to be included in the evacuation plan. However, the actual figure may be higher because it is thought that over 5,000 Nigerians, many of them students, are living in Sudan.
Yesterday around 11:40 p.m., 260 passengers from the Nigerian commercial airliner Air Peace arrived in Abuja, while 94 passengers from a Nigerian Air Force aircraft arrived a short time later.
Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), asserted that if four aircraft could take off at once, every Nigerian trapped in Sudan would be sent home.
While awaiting the arrival of the two Egyptian planes, she said this last night at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja.
She added that another 3,000 stranded Nigerians were anticipated to return home and that if four airplanes could move at once, everyone would undoubtedly arrive.
Egyptian officials, according to Dabiri-Erewa, are adamant that the planes dispatched from Nigeria must be able to accommodate the number of Nigerians that are available; otherwise, they won’t be permitted to evacuate anyone.
She said: “If four planes go at the same time, they will bring everybody back. Most importantly, we hope those over there come back speedily. “We are expecting that with the arrangements made by NEMA, it is going to be more planes because Egypt makes it difficult.
“Egypt says if the number of people you brought is let’s say 200 and the aircraft can only take 150, then nobody will leave.
“They want you to pick the number of people you are bringing into their borders.
“At Port Sudan, we are trying to get tickets because it is even more difficult to get a flight to Port Sudan but they have an airline.
“So they are processing them now to get them tickets and then they come back home. And if other airlines get the landing permit, they will quickly go to help evacuate them.
“At least, they are coming back home and we are glad no life was lost and priority was given to students, women, and children. So, let’s just set our eyes on that,” she said.
