At least 131 Nigerian evacuees who were stranded in Sudan arrived in the country yesterday. The returnees, who were transported by a B737-300 aircraft, operated by Tarco Airline, landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja at 1:45 pm.
With this third batch of returnees, 637 Nigerians have been evacuated and airlifted back to the country since the airlifting exercise began on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, the first batch of 376 individuals were airlifted by Air Peace and a C 130 aircraft operated by the Nigerian Airforce.
Then on Friday, the second batch of 130 evacuees – 99 per cent female – were airlifted by a Sudanese aircraft, Taco. The first batch originated from Egypt, while the second batch came from Port Sudan.
Similarly, the third batch of returnees, which was airlifted on an aircraft operated by Tarco Airline, also came from Port Sudan.
The Federal Government yesterday explained its challenges in sending bigger planes to evacuate stranded Nigerians from Sudan.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management of Social Development, Dr. Nasir Sani-Gwarzo said only smaller planes can land in Port Sudan for now.
Sani-Gwarzo, however, said efforts were still on to get permit from the Sudanese government and other neighbouring countries so as to send bigger planes.
He spoke yesterday shortly after receiving the third batch of 131 stranded Nigerians from Port Sudan.
At the reception for evacuees, Sani-Gwarzo also gave the assurance that more planes would be going to Sudan.
He said: “More aircraft will go. Our limitation has not been the ability to send aircraft but the fact that large-bodied aircraft cannot go to Port Sudan at the moment except smaller ones, otherwise, you would have seen about 500 at a go but we are still working with the Sudanese government and those countries along the route to make sure that large-bodied aircraft can go. With that, I assure you in less than 24 hours, we will finish the evacuation”.
On the sick among the evacuees, he said: “There are three people that are sick, I just interacted with them and we are taking them to the hospital. One has a wound in his hand and two others have severe abdominal pain due to an ulcer.
“We sent them to the hospital not because their condition is bad but because we want maximum best for them. From the hospital, they will proceed home because they look stable but we don’t want to take any chance”.
The Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Ahmed said the action to bring women, children, and the sick was deliberate.
“For Port Sudan, we will continue with the evacuation. TARCO is going back, Azman is going to do back-to-back because of its 400 seater capacity and we have already started engaging Air Peace to go back because of the 274-seater capacity”, he said
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian in Diaspora Commission, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa disclosed that the returnees would undergo trauma counselling.
She said: “There will be trauma counselling for all the returnees because they have gone through a lot of trauma. Watch out for information on various websites of the emergency team on various counselling for everyone. We are talking to Dangote and some other NGOs about that”.
Dabiri-Erewa also reiterated the promise that no single Nigerian would be left behind.
She said: ” It is not over until it is over. Another batch is coming tomorrow. Thank God the tension is less now, and one thing is certain, no one would be left behind. Unfortunately, some people put a tribal colouration to all these issues. You can see, the mission wanted them to be orderly, and priority was given to women and children. If a man jumps through the window and comes out to say oh because I am from this ethnic group, I think that is most uncharitable. But nobody will be left behind”.
She also re-emphasized that the directive from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is that priority be given to women in the ongoing exercise.
”So, another is coming tomorrow and NEMA is trying to get a landing permit for Air Peace to also go to Port Sudan because it’s only Tarco Airline that can fly from Port Sudan, being an old airline.
“So, we are trying to see if Air Peace can get a landing permit. NEMA is working on it. That would make it a bit faster.
“And again, I want to thank all that supported the Federal Government, Air Peace, Mr. Onyema, we thank you very much. Dangote Foundation, we thank you very much. MTN, for giving sim cards. We have always done it with MTN since the South Africa evacuation, thank you very much. Azman, Max Air, thank you very much.”
On the situation with Wadi Halfa camp, she said: “There were situations. You see, Egypt is very strict with its laws. If you have more than one person, they would not carry everybody.
“There were situations where the figures did not tally. They said there were two people they were looking for.
“So, it is a war situation and it is a bit complicated. I just want to appeal to our people there to just be patient, follow the rules, you will be home.
“Cairo is strict, so just follow the rules as they have given us. The most important thing is to come back and everybody will come back”.
Master Deen Shittu, a returnee and a 400-level medical student at the Al-Fajir College of Science and Technology, Khartoum, Sudan, expressed happiness for their safe return.
“What we faced was a very bad experience, I can say that war is not an option and I do not pray we face that in Nigeria.
“It was difficult to eat, I also drank water that was bad which I know would hurt me health-wise, but there was nothing I could do.
“But I hope to go back when peace returns to the country to complete my education because I do not know where to start.
“Though if I get a university in Nigeria that would accept me in the same level and the same course, I would remain here”, he said.
