BREAKING: Federal Government Evacuates 292 Stranded Nigerians From Saudi Arabia

It was gathered that the flight conveying the evacuees arrived late on Tuesday night at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja.

Their arrival was announced on Wednesday morning by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama via his official Twitter handle.

He said a large number of the evacuees are nursing mothers and children.

“We received 292 evacuees stranded in Saudi Arabia yesterday. The Saudi Government transported them to Abuja. A large number are nursing mothers and children and they are all comfortably settled in hotels under the mandatory 14 days quarantine. #COVID19 #PTFCOVID19,” Onyeama tweeted.

Meanwhile, the minister has said Nigerians in France, with the plan to fly to Cotonou in Benin Republic and then access Nigeria through its land border can do so.

He said this during a briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja on Tuesday.

The minister however stated that the country would absorb evacuees based on the resources available for their 14-day mandatory quarantine.

“If they have already bought their tickets and have boarded or about to board the flight, when they get to Cotonou, we will as in the past liaise with our Charge d’Affairs, and look at the capacity available to process them from Cotonou. but there’s certainly no guarantee that they would’ve immediate access to the country until such a time as they can be absorbed,” he stated.

It was gathered that the flight conveying the evacuees arrived late on Tuesday night at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja.

Their arrival was announced on Wednesday morning by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama via his official Twitter handle.

He said a large number of the evacuees are nursing mothers and children.

“We received 292 evacuees stranded in Saudi Arabia yesterday. The Saudi Government transported them to Abuja. A large number are nursing mothers and children and they are all comfortably settled in hotels under the mandatory 14 days quarantine. #COVID19 #PTFCOVID19,” Onyeama tweeted.

Meanwhile, the minister has said Nigerians in France, with the plan to fly to Cotonou in Benin Republic and then access Nigeria through its land border can do so.

He said this during a briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja on Tuesday.

The minister however stated that the country would absorb evacuees based on the resources available for their 14-day mandatory quarantine.

“If they have already bought their tickets and have boarded or about to board the flight, when they get to Cotonou, we will as in the past liaise with our Charge d’Affairs, and look at the capacity available to process them from Cotonou. but there’s certainly no guarantee that they would’ve immediate access to the country until such a time as they can be absorbed,” he stated.