According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey
Onyema, the Federal Government of Nigeria has disclosed that the only safe way
to evacuate Nigerians out of Sudan is by road, in response to calls from
Nigerians living in Sudan, including over 5,500 students, to evacuate them out
of the Horn of Africa country since the crisis broke out two weeks ago.
The Minister revealed this on Channel Television’s Sunday
Politics programme, stating that the airport is not safe and in a situation
like this, what is needed is where everybody can gather before they are moved
out.
The Minister also disclosed that they are working to get
authorisation from the Sudanese government to undertake the long journey, and
that the government is providing some level of security and a safe corridor.
The Minister also advised Nigerian students in Sudan to
disregard plans by the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, to
evacuate them to Ethiopia and stay indoors and not go to the borders, as it is
dangerous to cross the borders of Sudan without clearance.
Furthermore, Nigerian
students trapped in the war-torn country cried out, claiming they were being
exploited at the Ethiopian border by visa officials.
Vanguard