Sudan Crisis: NEMA to evacuate over 2,000 Nigerians via Cairo April 25 –Official

*Onimode Bandele, Director of Special Duties, discloses Mustapha Habib, Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency, is already in Cairo, Egyptian capital, to fine-tune the evacuation arrangement with Nigerian Embassy in Khartoum Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

As pandemonium intensifies in the North African country with the attendant socio-economic dislocations, Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has disclosed the Federal Government’s plans to evacuate over 2,000 Nigerian citizens in crisis-hit Sudan by morning Tuesday, April 25, 2023.

ConsumerConnect gathered the Nigerian Embassy in Khartoum and the Director-General of NEMA, who is in Cairo, the Egyptian capital, are fine-tuning the movement plans.

It is recalled Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, Honourable Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sunday, April 23 had estimated the number of Nigerians in Sudan at 5,500.

The Minister disclosed that out of the number, 80 percent of them are students.

According to Onyeama, some countries had only evacuated their diplomatic staff and not all of their citizens as speculated online.

Onimode Bandele, Director of Special Duties, confirmed this development while featuring in a live Channels TV programme Monday, April 24.

Bandele said: “The truth is nobody has been evacuated yet. I just spoke to the ambassador Olaniyan in Khartoum a few minutes ago.

“It is true that there are plans to get buses to start moving tomorrow morning.

“And as I speak to you, the Director General, National Emergency Management Agency, Mustapha Habib, is already in Cairo because that is the window that we are looking at.”

The NEMA Director noted that the movement is to be perfected between the Nigerian Embassy in Khartoum and the regulatory agency’s Director-General.

Modalities of evacuating Nigerians from crisis zone in Sudan

In regard to the number of Nigerians to be ferried out of the troubled Sudan, Bandele said that evacuation of a few thousand citizens is in progress.

He further noted: “Our projection was that most students and others who want to evacuate are about 5,000.

“But with my discussion with the ambassador this morning, the plan is for about 2,650-2,800 to move immediately, including families of embassy staff.

“As these plans continue, we’ll be able to update you with the actual figure and the exact time of departure from Khartoum to Cairo.”

In order to ensure continued safety of Nigerians trapped in the crisis-ridden North African country, Foreign Affairs Minister Onyeama on Sunday urged Nigerians to “stay where you are” before the evacuation begins.

He said: “Essentially, where we are at the moment is trying to get authorisation from the Sudanese government to undertake this long convoy journey and for them to provide some security.”