THE first batch of 376 Nigerian students trapped in war-torn Sudan arrived in Abuja late on Wednesday, May 2, 2023.

The students, were evacuated from Aswan border of Egypt, touched down at the Pilgrims Terminal of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at 11:25pm via the Air Peace aircraft and the Nigeria Air Force (NAF) jet, with the number NAF C-130.

They were received by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Umar Farouq; Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA); Chairperson /CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission and Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons.

Speaking shortly after their arrival, the minister, who announced the donation of a N100,000 stipend to each of the returnees, courtesy of Dangote Foundation, while MTN Foundation doled out recharge cards worth N25,000 to each of the returnees, said the stipend was for them to use as fare to their various destinations, while MTN also donated 25GB of data to each of the evacuees.

Also speaking, the Sudanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mohammad Yusuf, said the situation in his country would soon be under control, expressing happiness that Nigeria was able to evacuate its citizens safely.

He described Sudan as the second country to many Nigerians, saying normalcy would be restored in the war-ravaged country soon.

The Director General of NEMA, Mustapha Ahmed, said four more flights conveying Nigerians from Sudan were expected in the country on Thursday, adding: “The situation in Sudan is real and terrible, but we pray peace returns to that country. I am happy our people have started coming back.

“We are expecting about four flights tomorrow, three from Port Sudan and one from Aswan. So, it is a process that has started and the tempo will keep on increasing.

“This is something that nobody expected and so we had to swing into action immediately. To get out of Sudan, we had to pay to take our people to any other part, but we thank God that we are able to bring them back.”

Ahmed assured the returnees that the remaining evacuees waiting to be transported back home would soon arrive.

Some of the evacuees expressed mixed feelings over the situation in Sudan. Ibrahim Musa, a student who lived on the outskirts of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, said he was devastated when he first heard the sound of gunshots and grenade explosion.

“The first thing that came to my mind was to escape and I thank God this is where I am now, home,” he said.

Another evacuee, Faith Stephen, a pregnant woman, said she would go back to Sudan once the situation in that country stabilised, noting that she and her husband were engaged in a thriving joint business and had invested so much in Sudan.