TheCable

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) says about 1,700 remaining Nigerians in Sudan will be evacuated “in a matter of days”.

Abdur-Rahman Balogun, head of media, public relations and protocols at NiDCOM, on Saturday,  spoke about the plans to airlift stranded Nigerians in Sudan.

Balogun said the next batch of returnees is being expected in “another 12 hours or less, all things being equal”.

He said all the issues that have to do with the delay of other flights had been addressed.

“Max Air with a capacity of 540 PAX, AZMAN Air with 400 PAX and C130 are on the ground to evacuate others, while Tarco promised to make two more trips as well as Air Peace on standby,” NAN quoted him as saying.

He said all the returnees would be profiled, catered for and provided with post-trauma treatment and counselling.

Balogun added that the returnees who are students would also liaise with the federal ministry of education for the continuation of their studies in Nigeria.

All the Nigerians evacuated from war-torn Sudan were given N100,000 and a bag courtesy of the Dangote Foundation.

NiDCOM also facilitated MTN SIM cards with N25,000 worth of airtime for all returnees.

According to the NiDCOM’s spokesperson, a lady delivered a baby in Port Sudan, noting that they will be brought to Nigeria.

Balogun said that a Nigerian who sustained a hand injury has been treated and discharged from the hospital.