Chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, says Egypt has finally opened its border for Nigerian students evacuated from Sudan.
Dabiri-Erewa said the border was opened after President Muhammadu Buhari spoke with Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the Egyptian president.
The NIDCOM chairperson’s statement came a few hours after the commission said Egypt’s borders were still closed despite the arrival of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) in the northern African country to airlift the stranded students.
NiDCOM said the air force had assured the students that they will not be left behind.
“The Egyptian border still not opened for our students, but the Nigeria Airforce is ready, the NAF C 130 landed in Aswan Airport, and they say “We will not leave without our students.
“Thank you @NigAirForce Nigeria,” NiDCOM had earlier reported
Hours later, Dabiri-Erewa said the borders had been opened but with stringent conditions.
“The border has just been opened, ( with stringent conditions ) after President Buhari’s intervention with the Egyptian President. So, the processing of evacuees by the Nigerian Embassy in Egypt will begin,” she said.
The students, alongside other nationals, had been stranded at the Egyptian border since Thursday evening.
The first set of evacuated Nigerians were initially expected to arrive in the country on Friday.