As the Federal government increases effort to evacuate more citizens from Sudan, over 500 students have been sent back to Sudan over failure to provide their passport or Emergency Travel Certificate.
The Egyptian authorities have sent the stranded students back because two of them, who failed to provide either a passport or Emergency Travel Certificate, sneaked into the group of passengers cleared to go to the airport from the Wadi Halfa border.
According to a statement by a Nigerian official, He said, “Our children have spoiled the efforts that the Federal Government is putting in place to airlift them. All the students that have passports were allowed to move to the Egypt airport and those that do not have were asked to wait behind and an ETC will be issued to them as a formal document for them to travel. Out of impatience, two students without passports or ETC sneaked in.
“Now, the two students were discovered at the Aswan airport and the Egyptian authorities are angry. Now, all the stranded Nigerians have to go back to Sudan. They conveyed over 500 Nigerians and everyone will go back to Sudan. They will have to get an exit permit and then get another permit back to Egypt. This will cause a delay of almost 10 hours.”
“Also, in the midst of the confusion, a child sneaked into Egypt. We cannot find him. Legal actions would be taken against the two students.”
The official also warned students at Port Sudan to behave in a coordinated manner to avoid being returned back to Khartoum.
