Since The War Began, We Have Not Been Ourselves -Nigerian Returnees

Some Nigerian returnees from the theatre of war have a confession: Since the war broke out, we have not been ourselves, they say.

126 in number, they have just arrived the shores of the land today after being stranded in Sudan currently embroiled in war.

And as they breathed the Nigerian air, they could not but express gratitude to God for sparing their lives and to the government for coming to their rescue.

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Upon arrival on a Tarco Aircraft ST-TAL B737-300 at about 5:15p.m, they were received by staff of National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, (NIDCOM), as well as the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic of Persons (NAPTIP)

Among the 126 that were rescued were three students and 23 children, NAN report shows, making a total of 2,660 stranded Nigerians evacuated to the country in 16 batches since the crisis broke out in Sudan.

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Aside the assurance of safety, the Nigerian returnees also got N100,000 cash each as well as food and drinks.

It was the Director-General of NEMA, Mr Mustapha Ahmed, Director-General, that welcomed them on behalf of the federal government.

Ahmed who was represented by Dr Onimode Bandele, Director, Special Duties, NEMA, said that arrangements had been made to return more Nigerians stranded in Sudan.

“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.

One of the returnees, Mr Akwari Henry, said he had been living in Sudan for six years before things went awry.

Nigerian Returnees -Since The War Began, We Have Not Been Ourselves

He expressed appreciation to the federal government for evacuating them.

“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.

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“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.