The Federal Government has started the evacuation of Nigerians stranded in Sudan, following the outbreak of conflict in the North African country.
Confirming this on Wednesday, while speaking to State House Correspondents on unfolding developments regarding the crisis, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama and his counterpart, Minister of State Zubairu Dada said that 40 luxury buses were already on ground in Sudan to pick up Nigerian nationals in the country to Egypt where they would be airlifted back home.
The foreign affairs minister stated that the evacuation is being carried out by the Nigerian embassy in Sudan as well as authorities of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FERMA).
The two ministers said the buses conveying Nigerian nationals were hired at $1.2 million, pointing out that it also included the cost of providing security while transporting them to Egypt.
While noting that women and children will be given priority, including diplomats who are equally involved in the evacuation logistics, the two ministers said federal government was leveraging on the 72-hour ceasefire deal to evacuate as many Nigerians as possible.
