First batch of Nigerian refugees from Sudan arrives at Abuja aboard Naf and Air Peace flights

ALMOST 400 Nigerians who were living in Sudan have arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja in what was the first batch of refugees safely returning back home after a scary journey from the wear-torn north African nation.

With heavy fighting in the capital Khartoum, foreign expatriates are fleeing and under a plan put together by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (Nidcom) and the Nigeria Emergency Management Agency (Nema), her citizens are being bussed to Egypt and then flown home from there. Air Peace has agreed to fly these stranded refugees back to Nigeria from Egypt free of charge.

Most of the Nigerians in the Sudan are students, mainly from the northern half of the country which shares a lot of cultural characteristics with the Sudanese. Yesterday, the first batch of Nigerians returning from Sudan arrived in Abuja, with 376 returnees of them arriving aboard a Nigerian Air Force plane and an Air Peace aircraft from Aswan in Egypt.

After a tumultuous journey crossing the Sudanese/Egyptian border, they airlifted by the Nigerian Air Force on the NAF C-130H aircraft and Air Peace aircraft at about 4 pm this afternoon. Nigeria's federal government has said that if four aircraft were made available to move at once, every Nigerian in Sudan will be evacuated.

Nigeria's evacuation plan covers more than 3,500 nationals but their total number could be greater, as more than 5,000 Nigerians are believed to reside in Sudan. Yesterday, an Air Peace flight landed in Abuja at around 11.40pm yesterday with 260 passengers, while a Nigerian Air Force plane arrived a few minutes later with about 94 passengers.

Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the chair of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission said if four airplanes can move at once, everyone would definitely arrive, adding that another 3,000 stranded Nigerians were expected to return home. She said Egyptian officials are insisting that the airplanes sent from Nigeria must be able to take the number of Nigerians available.

“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 National Emergency Management Agency, 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 that you are bringing into their borders. At the Port Sudan, we are trying to get tickets because it is even more difficult to get 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,” Hon Dabiri-Erewa said.

Meanwhile, the Nigerians that returned said they suffered a lot with one female saying they faced humiliation and slept in the open. She added that they spent all the money they had, we were hungry and thirsty and were harassed sexually.

Another female student said that their legs were swollen due to long hours of stay in the bus. She added that the situation was so bad that they even had to pay money before they were allowed to urinate.