By Kassim Kola Adeyemi
Abuja – Another batch of 131 Nigerian evacuees comprising 123 adults and 8 infants arrived Abuja Saturday afternoon.
Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Head of Media, Public Relations and Protocols, NIDCOM, confirmed the arrival of the evacuees in a statement on Saturday.
He said the batch which is the fourth arrived aboard Tarco Aircraft B737-300 from Port Sudan International Airport.
The plane, he said arrived Abuja with the evacuees at 2.35pm.
Balogun said the returnees were received by Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO NIDCOM, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr Sani Gwarzo, Representative of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Mustapha Habeeb, Director-General, NEMA, Representative of Refugees Commissioner, Mrs Iman Ibrahim as well as other stakeholders who provided logistics support.
They include Nigeria Immigration Service, Dangote Foundation, MTN and Hajia Asmau Yerima Mohammed, representing Association of Parents and Guardian of Students in Sudan.
Gwarzo, while speaking assured that no Nigerian will be left behind in the war torn Sudan.
He said President Muhammadu Buhari has given the committee the necessary support to bring back home any willing Nigerians.
“Another flight is being expected on Sunday and they are about concluding all the necessary clearance for them to take off,” he said.
The statement said three of the evacuees that sustained injuries were immediately moved to hospital for treatment.
“One has injury in the hand while another one had abdominal pain. All of them have been stabilised,” he said
The committee dismissed insinuation of ethnic segregation being peddled in some quarters, saying that the committee is intact and focussed on its mandate.
“In line with the laid down traditional support, each of the returnees were given N100,000 and a bag courtesy of Dangote Foundation while MTN supported them with a Sim pack and call credit of N25,000 as well as 1.5 G Data.
“Both NEMA and Refugees Commission provided those of them whose family are not in Abuja with transportation and hotel accommodation till they reunite with their respective families.
“On continuation of their studies in Nigeria, the Committee assured them that there are plans to secure placement for them in Nigeria universities with the support of Ministry of Education,” the statement said.
Some of the evacuees who spoke to newsmen thanked the Federal Government for coming to their aid promptly.
The speakers who are mostly students pleaded with government to hasten the rescue of their colleagues still trapped in the War zone Sudan.
They regretted the war situation in Sudan and prayed God to intervene. (vitalnewsngr.com)
