Nigerian Embassy Staff in Sudan Extorted Money From Us For Evacuation – Students
Two sisters from Nigeria who are studying in Sudan have accused some staff of the Nigerian embassy in Khartoum of extorting money from them for their evacuation amid the ongoing conflict in the country.
The sisters, Dr. Khairat Isa Babayo and Dr Fatima Isa Babayo, who are pursuing medicine and dentistry respectively, said they had to pay $150 ($75 each) initially and then another $100 ($50 each) later to the staff to secure their evacuation.
They told reporters that they were among the last batch of Nigerian students stranded in Sudan, where they were asked to gather at the International University of Africa (IUA) in Khartoum on April 29.
However, they said some buses that were supposed to transport them to Egypt, where they would board a flight to Nigeria, were taken over by some undocumented Nigerians living in Sudan.
They said these migrants, who were doing various low-skilled jobs, stormed the university in large numbers and demanded to be evacuated before the students. They said they became violent and occupied the buses by force.
The sisters said they were still in Khartoum as of 6 pm (5 pm Nigerian time) Sunday, but they hoped to leave soon as some buses were available.”
“One of the sisters said they paid more than $250 to the staff for their evacuation.
“We are still stuck in Khartoum; it’s already 6:00 pm here, but we may not leave today,” she said.
We had earlier reported that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffery Onyeama said the Nigerian government would spend $1.2 million to hire 40 buses to evacuate Nigerians stranded in Sudan.
Onyeama made this known to State House reporters after the Federal Executive Council on Wednesday. He said the Nigerian government would rescue its citizens within days following the 72-hour truce agreement between the conflicting parties in Sudan.”
