On Wednesday, 350 stranded Nigerians who had been evacuated from Khartoum, Sudan, arrived in Aswan, Egypt.
AbdulRahman Balogun, the spokesman for the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, announced that “80 passengers would be airlifted by NAF C130 and 274 passengers would be airlifted by Air Peace.
“Checking-in has commenced following normal airport protocols.
“Boarding is ongoing.”
In the meantime, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission has denied an allegation against its Chairman, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, that she prevented some Nigerians, especially of the South-East extraction, from boarding buses hired by the Federal Government to evacuate stranded Nigerians from the war-torn Khartoum in Sudan.
A statement signed by NiDCOM spokesperson, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, on Tuesday, described the allegation by a Coalition of South-East Youth Leaders, signed by one Goodluck Ibe, as “wicked, divisive and a ridiculous fabrication.”
Narrating what transpired, Balogun explained, “Reports from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff on the ground in Khartoum, indicated that when the boarding of buses began, the situation was so chaotic that some people (including non-Nigerians) jumped in violently, some with daggers, and through the windows.
“To bring sanity and to abide by the instruction of the Minister of Foreign Affairs that priority should be given to women, children and students, the officials started calling them in according to states in alphabetical order, beginning with Abia State.