Thirteen Nigerian students studying in war-torn Sudan are set to be evacuated from Saudi Arabia where they had fled to seek refugee.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says they will airlifted from Jeddah on Wednesday using Qatar Airways. They are expected to arrive Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja on Thursday. NEMA had recently evacuated a total of 2,518 stranded Nigerians from Sudan.
According to Leadership newspaper, the names of the students are: Mannira Buniya, Hadiza Idi, Naima Mamuda, Hindatu Salmanu, Aminu Ibrahim, Muntari, and Aliya Rabbilu.
Others are Muhammad Zubairu, Aisha Sani, Asmau Adamu Dandada, Abdulkadir Lawan Gambo, Suleiman Sani Idris and Mubarak Zakariya.
The spokesperson of NEMA, Ezekiel Manzo, said in a statement that “the return of the 13 Nigerian students from Saudi Arabia is part of the evacuation of stranded Nigerian citizens in the war-torn Sudan by the federal government through NEMA and other relevant agencies.
“These students had fled by using boats through the Red Sea into Saudi Arabia, where they sought the assistance of the federal government to be transported back home.
“Consequently, they were profiled by the Nigerian Mission in Saudi Arabia and arrangement for their safe return made by the NEMA in line with the mandates of the agency.”
