The Chairperson of the Nigerian in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has reacted to a viral video showing Nigerian students being evacuated from Sudan claiming to be stranded in a desert.
The NiDCOM boss had announced that buses have arrived in Sudan to take students trapped in the war-torn country to the Egyptian border from where they would be airlifted to Nigeria.
However, hours after their departure, a video surfaced on Twitter of some Nigerian students in an unidentified location, saying they were stranded and raising an alarm over their security.
The video shows some buses parked in a deserted area with a crowd of people seeming frustrated at the situation.
‘CHALLENGES ARE EXPECTED’
Reacting to the video in a press briefing on Thursday, Dabiri-Erewa said the evacuation process was a tedious one and that challenges were expected.
She said the government was in touch with the students, noting that relevant agencies would resolve the situation in no time.
“I’m seeing reports on Twitter — don’t believe everything on social media – -but I’m seeing reports that they’re stranded somewhere because the bus driver is demanding for some kind of full payment but whatever is happening will be resolved by NEMA and between the Nigerian mission in Sudan and Ethiopia,” the NiDCOM chair said.
“There will be challenges along the way. It’s a very very complex and fluid situation. So whatever challenges are being faced now, I believe that relevant agencies will resolve them.
“We’re in touch with some of the students and whatever it is they talk about we try to convey to the relevant agencies and we’ve resolved quite a few.
“Whatever it is they’re going through now, two hours away to where they are, will be resolved, and let’s understand that it’s a very fluid situation. And at the end of the day, we believe Nigeria will be one of the countries to rescue most of its citizens in Sudan.”
She said 13 buses have departed from two universities in Khartoum, carrying Nigerian students to the Aswan border in Egypt, adding that barring any last-minute changes, the first set of evacuees would be expected to arrive in the country on Friday.
