126 Nigerians stranded in Sudan has arrived Abuja on Saturday following the continued crisis in the country.
It was gathered that, the returnees arrived on a Tarco Aircraft ST-TAL B737-300 at about 5:15p.m.
The returnees were received by staff of National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA;Ministry of Foreign Affairs; National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, NIDCOM and NAPTIP, among others.
“This evacuation started before the end of the last administration, and being a caring government, President Bola Tinubu administration inherited the process and gave us the backing we need to bring them back.
“The success we are seeing today is because the federal government supported us and the director-general of NEMA has been on top of the situation, getting these flights out of Port Sudan,” he said.
However, Mr Akwari Henry, a returnee who had stayed in Sudan for six years, appreciated the federal government for bringing them back to the country.
“I was playing football for a club in Sudan and I have been there for six years. I do not pray we face this same crisis in Nigeria because the experience has been traumatising.
“I looked forward to being invited by football clubs in Nigeria to start life again,” he said.
Another returnee, Mrs Bilqis Bamijoko, also appreciated the federal government for evacuating them back to the country.
“Since April when the war began, we have not been ourselves, we could not sleep not to talk of eating good food but I am happy to be back home,” she said.
Armed conflict between rival factions of the military government of Sudan began on April 15, when clashes broke out in cities across Khatourm and Dafur regions.
(NAN)