The Federal Government said about 1,519 stranded Nigerians in Sudan are expected to leave the capital Khartoum via hired buses to Port Sudan and other designated border points for their onward evacuation to Nigeria.
This development followed the extension of another 72 hours ceasefire agreement reached between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Para-military Rapid Support Forces in Sudan.
The Port Sudan is a port on the Red Sea in Eastern part of Sudan and the Capital of the State of Red Sea.
The Permanent Secretary with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr Sani Gwarzo, confirmed this while briefing newsmen on the situation with Nigerian students in Sudan on Sunday in Abuja.
Gwarzo, who is the chairperson of the federal government situation room, on the evacuation exercise, explained that the stranded students are expected to leave on April. 30.
He said government had already secured 31 buses in addition to the reserve buses kept in case of unforeseen circumstances.
“We have given the bus company our word that under no circumstances shall they leave anybody on ground; even if it is one more person that is remaining let them activate our reserve list and bring out the new buses.
“And I spoke to the student leader and the Embassy in this regard, so we are expecting each bus will carry 49 persons and if you calculate this number times 31 buses it will give you the number of persons to be evacuated today,” he said.
The federal government also clarified the controversy over the 1.2 million dollars used to hire buses for the evacuation of stranded Nigerians from Khartoum to the designated border point.
“Do you know how much it takes to hire a bus from Khartoum to the border?, is 30,000 dollars per bus and you times it by 40 buses, that is where 1.2 million dollars comes into.
