By Ruth Oketunde
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has received another batch of 198 stranded Nigerians evacuated from the war-torn Sudan, on Friday in Abuja.
The returnees, comprised of 160 adults and 38 children arrived the pilgrims wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on TARCO Aircraft at exactly 12:09 p.m.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that this figure brings to total 2,858 Nigerians evacuated by the Federal Government since the war broke out in Sudan in April.
Mr Mustapha Ahmed, Director-General, NEMA while receiving the evacuees at the airport, said the Federal Government is committed to ensuring that no Nigerian was left in the war-torn countries.
He added that efforts were already in place to evacuate the remaining 40 Nigerians left in Sudan.
Ahmed added that so far no Nigerian has lost his or her life in the crisis-ridden country.
“We all know the crisis in Sudan has escalated seriously, no Nigerian aircraft can go to Sudan.
“We are using the Sudanese based airline, TARCO to evacuate Nigerians, they have been working with us assiduously and they had to engage the military authorities for us to be able to airlift these people.
“The most important thing is that they are home and we have not lost one Nigerian life, which is most important to us.
“198 people, including women and children were brought back today and the remaining 40 people will be brought back as we are working round the clock to bring them back,” he said.
Ahmed added that the 100,000 naira provided by the Dangote Foundation, would be given to the evacuees to aid their transportation to their various destinations.
Some of the returnees who spoke with NAN appreciated the Federal Government for evacuating them back into the country.
Mr Ridwan Yusuf, a student who resided in Khartoum, expressed happiness for being evacuated safely back to the country.
“I thank God, the federal government, NEMA and the Nigerian embassy in Sudan for what they did for us. I want to say we are happy to be back home,” he said.
Mr Jafaru Mohammed, also a student in Sudan, who also thanked the federal government Federal Government, called on the government to bring back the remaining Nigerians stranded in Sudan.
NAN reports that staff of NEMA, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons and Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), among others, were on ground to welcome the returnees.(NAN)
