Nigerian students who are being transported out of war-torn Sudan, are calling for help and have sent SOS messages to QUEST TIMES to say they are being abandoned and threatened in the Sahara Desert by bus drivers evacuating them from the conflict zone.
On Wednesday, April 26, Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, announced that about 40 buses will transport the students from Khartoum to a neighbouring nation because Sudan’s airspace has been closed.
From this border nation (believed to be Egypt) Airpeace will now airlift the students back to Nigeria. The airline’s Chairman, Allen Onyema, had announced on live television that three of his jets are on standby to airlift the students from Egypt on Friday.
“For ease of conveying the students, they were put on the buses according to their states of origin. Journey mercies,” Abike Dabiri-Erewa tweeted on Wednesday.
https://twitter.com/abikedabiri/status/1651219730273910786?s=20
The federal government had also announced that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had been paid the sum of N150 million through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the evacuation of the students by road.
The federal government had also released the sum of $1.2m for 40 buses to evacuate the students from Sudan.
However, the students now say the logistics arrangement put in place by the federal government has run into a snafu; and that they are now starving and have been left stranded in the desert.
They also allege that the monies disbursed for logistics, have been misappropriated by thieving Nigerian government officials in Sudan.
One respondent who craved anonymity for this story said; “At first we were calm because we saw that Mrs Abike said the government has paid and everything, we were so happy about that. But the reports I’m getting from the students I’m in touch with is that even though the government says they have made the payment, the Nigerian embassy did not disburse all of the money to the drivers.
“And now that the drivers have embarked on the journey since yesterday, they’ve stopped in the desert and dropped some of the students in the desert, telling the students that they either drop here or they’ll turn back and take them back to Khartoum because their money has not been paid in full.
“For the other students who are supposed to get on the buses this morning, the other buses have not come to pick them up. And the university is shutting down later today, which means that the students are going to be on the streets.”
One of the stranded students says; “The Embassy is not helping matters, they gave them money and they have diverted it. They brought 13 buses instead of the 40 buses that they have promised.
“We’re restless, can’t sleep nor eat food here and they haven’t paid the drivers, therefore the drivers have to stop their vehicles on the road inside the Sahara desert. Nowhere is safe here, even with your money, you can’t find food to buy. We’re waking up and getting used to the gunshots on daily basis. We’re fed up.”
Another student says; “They just want to make money. The Nigeria embassy is just useless and we that are here are more useful than them. All what they are saying is mere lies, even the embassy is closed today. They have sent us away and we’re standing under the sun as we speak.
“There is war everywhere and these people have given us 72 hours to leave their country but we’re still here. They are sympathizing with our ordeal but the government needs to do something fast as we don’t know our fates.
“Some wicked government officials that don’t have fear of Allah are putting us in this situation by diverting money that is made to evacuate us. You can see that where we’re standing here is army barracks where they’re fighting and we have more female here, anything can happen to us who have been crying since. In fact, we’re even tired of praying. We’ll not forgive these people that put us in this condition even if our parents forgive them.”
Another student captures the current plight of the evacuees succinctly. “The federal government has released the money to the embassy and we have seen the alert but because of their selfish interests, they have refused to pay the drivers cash to come to Egypt and evacuate us.
“Once they reach Egypt, we don’t have a problem again. These are our luggage and we are stranded here waiting endlessly for seven days today. We’re only feeding on biscuits and water; but this is not the issue because we are getting used to the hunger as most of the shops are even locked.”
According to this respondent, the Nigeria Embassy in Sudan is so selfish that even the Ambassador had run away, only to return to Sudan when he heard that the government has released huge sums of money running into billions of Naira for the evacuation.
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Temisan Emiko reports:
The evacuation of over 5000 Nigerian students and nationals from war-ravaged Sudan has not gone as smoothly as envisaged.
Following the outbreak of fighting between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) which has plunged Sudan into turmoil, the Federal Government through the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), made provision for 40 buses at the cost of $1.2m to evacuate students to neighbouring Egypt.
But reports emanating from Sudan shows the arrangement has not gone according to plan as the funds released for evacuating the students have been allegedly diverted.
In several videos that have gone viral, visibly distressed Nigerian students speaking in Hausa, lamented the inability of the Nigerian Embassy in Sudan to come to their aid.
According to one of the students, instead of the 40 buses as arranged by the FG, the students got only 13 buses. To further complicate matters, the bus drivers weren’t paid, leading them to drop the students in the Sahara desert.
“The embassy is not helping matters. They gave them money, but they have diverted it. They brought 13 buses instead of the 40 buses that they have promised. ‘We’re restless; we can’t sleep or eat food here, and they haven’t paid the drivers,” she said.
“Therefore, the drivers have to stop their vehicles on the road inside the Sahara desert. Nowhere is safe here; even with your money, you can’t find food items to buy. We’re waking up and getting used to the gunshots on a daily basis. We’re fed up.'”
An unidentified male student slammed the Nigerian Ambassador to Sudan, Amb Olaniyan Safiu Olukayode, for abandoning the students
He said, “The federal government has released the money to the embassy and we have seen the alert, but because of their selfish interests, they have refused to pay the drivers cash to come to Sudan and evacuate us. Once they reach Egypt, we don’t have a problem again.
“These are our luggage, and we have been stranded here waiting endlessly for seven days today. We’re only feeding on biscuits and drinking water, but this is not the issue because we are getting used to the hunger as most of the shops are even locked to buy the biscuits.”
According to him, the Nigeria Embassy in Sudan is so selfish that even the Ambassador who had earlier left the country, returned to Sudan when he heard that the government has released a huge sum of money running into billions of Naira.
“They have refused to pay the drivers, and we’re stranded on the roads. We have more female students, and anything can happen to us as bandits can just come to kidnap these our female colleagues and turn them into their wives and then recruit the males into their group to be committing crimes.
“The Nigeria Embassy in Sudan is useless as they’re just trying to siphon the money released into their pockets. They are lying, and we have been sent packing.”
Another student hit out at the Nigerian Embassy in Sudan saying, “like we’re saying, they just want to make money, the Nigeria embassy is not just useless, we that are here are more useful than them. All what they are saying is mere lies, even the embassy is closed today. They have sent us away and we’re standing under the sun as we speak.
“There is war everywhere and these people have given us 72 hours to leave their country but we’re still here. They are sympathising with us but the Government needs to do something fast as we don’t know our fates.
“Some wicked government officials that don’t have fear of Allah are putting us in this situation by diverting money that is meant to evacuate us. You can see where we’re standing here is army barracks where they’re fighting and we have more female here. Anything can happen to us, who have been crying since. In fact, we’re even tired of just praying to God for safety and we’ll not forgive these people that put us in this condition even if our parents forgive them.”
Change.org is championing the cause for stranded Nigerians in Sudan. You can click on this link and sign the petition.