THE second batch of Nigerians fleeing the crisis in Sudan arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, on Friday, May 5.
A total of 130 Nigerians returned with the second batch from Port Sudan, and according to NIDCOM Head of Media, Public Relations and Protocol Unit Abdur-Rahman Balogun, the returnees were mostly women.
They were welcomed by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development (FMHADMSD) Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Mustapha Ahmed, among other government officials.
The ICIR reported that Nigerians in Port Sudan had begun boarding the TARCO Aviation airlines on Friday morning. More Nigerians are expected back into the country from Aswan, according to Balogun.
“Today, Friday May 5, 2023, we are expecting arrivals from Aswan (Azman and Max Air) and Taco Aviation from Port Sudan.,” Balogun said earlier.
The first batch of evacuees returned late on Wednesday, May 3 and received N100,000 cash each for transportation to their various homes.
There were 376 Nigerians who landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja on Wednesday.
The evacuation had taken longer than expected due to the inability of the Nigerian government to airlift citizens directly out of Sudan, as the warring parties failed to heed calls for a ceasefire.
As a result, the government contracted bus operators in Sudan, and on Wednesday, April 26, the Nigerians embarked on the journey from Khartoum, the Sudan capital, to Egypt by road.
Others, including the latest set of returnees, were evacuated via the Port Sudan route, as the Egyptian authorities denied Nigerians entry into their territory.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via vopara@icirnigeria.org or @ije_le on Twitter.