The first set of Nigerian evacuees from Sudan has successfully returned to the country amid the ongoing crisis in the North African nation.
The 376 returnees were airlifted from Aswan, Egypt, on Wednesday by the Nigerian Air Force on the NAF C-130H aircraft and Air Peace.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Farouq, confirmed that 282 evacuees were conveyed by Air Peace, while the NAF conveyed 96 evacuees.
Farouq expressed excitement that all of them arrived back safely, and no life was lost in the process.
She also revealed that each evacuee will receive a dignity pack, 100,000 naira transportation fare, N25,000 worth of call vouchers, and a 1.5 GB data bundle.
The Sudan Ambassador to Nigeria, Mohamed Yousif, was present at the Nnamdi Azikiwe airport to receive the evacuees and expressed regret about the situation in Sudan.
Yousif, however, expressed happiness that the evacuees are back in Nigeria safely.
It can be recalled that since April 15, Sudan has been embroiled in an armed conflict with clashes between rival factions of the military government.
This has led to the death of hundreds of people, and thousands have suffered injuries. The Nigerian government had facilitated the evacuation of its citizens from Sudan, with four more airplanes expected to arrive on Thursday to bring back other evacuees.
