According to the Federal Government, no fewer than 205 Nigerians who were left behind in the war-torn Sudan have been evacuated.
At precisely 12:15 pm, the returnees arrived at the Pilgrims terminal of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
Onboard the Tarco Airline flight, the returnees were received by officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), among others.
Of the 205 evacuees, 160 of them are adults, and 45 are infants.
This is the 17th batch of returnees from Sudan, believed to be the last set of evacuations, and it brings the total number of returnees from the war-torn country to 2858.
NIDCOM confirmed this in a terse statement on its Twitter handle.
EVACUATION UPDATE:
— Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (@nidcom_gov) July 28, 2023
A total number of 205 Nigeria evacuees from Sudan arrived Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Pilgrims terminal , Abuja on Friday at exactly 12.15pm. The evacuees which comprised of 160 adults and 45 minors and infants were received by Federal Government… pic.twitter.com/7rbUZeho0m
“A total number of 205 Nigeria evacuees from Sudan arrived at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Pilgrims terminal, Abuja on Friday at exactly 12.15 pm. The evacuees which comprised 160 adults and 45 minors and infants were received by Federal Government Officials from NIDCOM, NEMA, REFUGEES COMMISSION, IMMIGRATION, FAAN, and Ministries of Foreign Affairs as well as Environment,” NIDCOM tweeted.
“As usual, they were profiled, fed, and provided transportation for them especially the majority going to Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, and Borno states. To date, a total of 2,865 evacuees have been transported back to Nigeria from the war-torn Sudan.”