Abuja, May 1, 2023 -Egypt has finally opened its border to Nigerian evacuees from Sudan for onward airlifting to Nigeria by a Nigerian Air Force plane.
Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), said this on Monday while giving an update on the plight of Nigerians at the Egyptian border.
Dabiri-Erewa said it took the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari for Egypt to open its border for Nigerians.
“UPDATE: With the intervention of President Buhari, Egypt has finally opened its border to Nigerians fleeing Sudan.
“With an Airforce plane already on the ground in Aswan, Egypt, the processing of the first set of evacuees will begin, Dabiri-Erewa wrote on Twitter.
The first set of 637 Nigerian students evacuated from Sudan were stranded at the Egyptian border for more than three days.
Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, on Sunday said the Egyptian authorities had not opened its border with Sudan for the students three days after their arrival.
Onyeama said the Egyptian authorities had insisted on clearing all the 637 Nigerians before they could be allowed entry into their country.
He explained that the Federal Government might move the students to Port Sudan for evacuation if Egypt delayed further. (GBN)
