The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NiDCOM, has said that another flight with a batch of evacuees is expected on Sunday, with conclusion ongoing on necessary clearance for take-off.
Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Head of Media, Public Relations and Protocols of NiDCOM, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.
He said this was part of the highlights of the inter-ministerial briefing on the return of the fourth batch of evacuees from Sudan at the Hajj Terminal of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
The 131 batch of evacuees comprised 123 adults and eight infants aboard Tarco Aircraft B737-300 from Port Sudan International Airport, arrived at 2:35pm in Abuja.
Three of the evacuees, who sustained injuries, were moved to the hospital. One had an injury in the hand while another one had abdominal pain. All of them have been stabilised.
The evacuees were, however, assured that no Nigerian would be left behind.
Those who received them included Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman NiDCOM; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr. Sani Gwarzo; and Representative of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mustapha Habeeb.
Others included Mustapha Habib Ahmed, Director-General National Emergency Management Agency; Representative of Refugees Commissioner, Iman Ibrahim; and other stakeholders.
Those who provided logistics support like the Nigeria Immigration Service, Dangote Foundation, MTN and Hajia Asmau Yerima Mohammed, who represented the Association of Parents and Guardian of Students in Sudan, were also there.
According to the statement, President Muhammadu Buhari gave the committee the necessary support to bring back any willing Nigerians.
The committee also reiterated that there was no ethnic segregation as speculated in some quarters and it remained focussed in its mandate.
Moreover, post-trauma counselling and psycho social treatment was announced again.
The post-trauma counselling and psycho social treatment is planned by NiDCOM, with the Ministry of Health and Refugees Commission in partnership with Aliko Dangote Foundation.
In line with the traditional support laid down, each of the returnees was given N100,000 and a bag courtesy of Dangote Foundation, while MTN supported with a SIM pack and call credit of N25,000 and 1.5 gigabytes of data.
Both the NEMA and the Refugees Commission provided transportation and hotel accommodation for those of them whose families were not in Abuja till they reunite with them.
The committee also assured them that there were plans to secure placement for them to continue with their education in their respective courses in Nigeria with the support of the Ministry of Education.
Most of the students interviewed regretted the war situation in Sudan and thanked the Federal Government for coming promptly to their rescue.
They also pleaded with the government to hasten the evacuation of their colleagues still trapped in Sudan.