Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora
Commission (NiDCOM), has spoken about the viral video of the evacuated students
reportedly stranded in a desert.
On Wednesday, buses arrived to evacuate Nigerian students
amid the ongoing crisis in Sudan.
NiDCOM said the buses would take the students 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 Buses evacuating Nigerian students and non-student
were stopped in the middle of the Sahara, and the drivers refused to continue the journey because they were not PAID. @abikedabiri @nemanigeria @FMHDSD @nidcom_gov @NigeriaMFAStudents crying out in this video pic.twitter.com/tbXSq1hUdY
— Dr. Ahmad Small (@dr_ahmadsmall) April 27, 2023
“Can you imagine that we have been stuck in this desert for
five hours, we don’t know the situation we’re in and our money has finished,” a
female student in the video said.
“And the drivers said they’re not moving their buses because
they did not give them money. Look at this place, we don’t even have a compass
to know our location. Everything has finished, we are in an unknown location
and in very big danger.”
The video shows some buses parked in a deserted area with a
crowd of people seeming frustrated at the situation.
TheCable could not immediately verify the video.
‘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.
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