Sudan War: Air Peace Awaits Safe Airport for Evacuation of Students

Even though the Federal Government (FG) is desperate to evacuate Nigerian students trapped in crisis-ridden Sudan, efforts are still being frustrated by its inability to get a secure and safe airport. FG has made several attempts to evacuate the troubled students by negotiating safe airports both in Egypt and Ethiopia, yet efforts yielded no fruit.

Meanwhile, students who were desperate to leave the war-torn country amid fear of death were forced to run back to their campuses, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, disclosed this at a media chat.

She said students who attempted to leave their campuses in a bus seeking refuge elsewhere had to return to their various campuses because it was too risky to have embarked on such.

Dabiri frowned at this action, saying such students would have been killed as they attempted to leave without authorization.

She equally condemned the action of the National Association of Nigerian Students who were asking students to pay between $100 and $200 for evacuation by road.

However, there seem to be moment of respite, as, according to The Director, Special Duties, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Onimode Bandele who spoke to Nigerian Ambassador in Khartoum, negotiations were in top gear between the Nigerian Embassy in Khartoum and the Director General of NEMA, Mustapha Habib.

Bandele disclosed, since it is difficult to evacuate the students by air, they might be evacuated via buses.

Lending his hand of support, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Allen Onyeama, promised on Monday (today) to airlift the students if the FG could arrange for a safe and secure airport.

Onyeama, who said Air Peace would work in favour of any action that promotes national pride, cohesion, peace and unity, expressed that the FG should not be left alone in the effort to evacuate the trapped students.

Recall that Airpeace evacuated Nigerian citizens who suffered xenophobic attack in 2019 in South Africa.

Scores of Nigerian nationals were flown out of South Africa in the wake of rising xenophobic attacks against fellow Africans.

Many Nigerians took advantage of a free evacuation offer by Air Peace, though the airline’s evacuation plan was delayed by lack of documentation of beneficiaries.

These are not the only times Allen Onyema, Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace had evacuated Nigerians from foreign countries. It should be recalled that the airline also evacuated Nigerian students stranded in Ukraine as war started between Russia and Ukraine started.

Many Nigerians who signified intension to come back to the country from Ukraine arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja in batches. Air Peace airlines airlifted Nigerians returning from Ukraine. They were airlifted from Poland where they had fled following the war in Ukraine.

What do you think about Allen Onyema’s Airpeace in helping Nigerians (especially students) in danger across the globe?

Share your thoughts in the comment section below.