FG evacuates 2,246 Nigerians in 12 flights

The National Emergency Management Agency, on Thursday, said the Federal Government had so far evacuated a total of 2,246 Nigerians from Sudan using 12 flights.

It, however, stated that the evacuation exercise would continue, adding that efforts were being made to engage more Nigerian carriers to join in airlifting stranded citizens in the war-torn African country.

NEMA disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja by its Head, Press Unit, Manzo Ezekiel, and noted that it also dispatched food items to evacuees to help ameliorate their plights.

The statement read in part, “To cushion the effects of food scarcity, NEMA has dispatched assorted food items approved for the Nigerian Embassy in Sudan to cater for the stranded Nigerians that are awaiting airlift in Port Sudan back home from war-torn Sudan.”

The food items, according to the NEMA Director-General, Habib Ahmed, were meant to cater for the Nigerian citizens, while the ongoing evacuation exercise was being strengthened.

“The items consist of 100 bags of 10kg rice, 50 bags of 10kg beans, 10 cartons of seasoning, 50 cartons of spaghetti and five bags of iodised salt.

“The items were airlifted on Thursday to Port Sudan by Tarco Aviation that brought 123 stranded Nigerians to Abuja. The latest arrival has brought the total number of evacuated stranded Nigerians to 2,246 in 12 different flights,” the agency stated.

NEMA stressed that “it must be emphasised that the evacuation exercise is continuing, with efforts being made to engage some Nigerian airlines to strengthen airlift of Nigerian citizens that are willing and have been profiled to be transported back home as a result of the unfortunate conflict in Sudan.”