I will send 3 jets to evacuate Nigerians in Sudan - Air Peace CEO Allen Onyema confirms

Air Peace Chairman and CEO of Air Peace, Allen Onyema has said his company will deploy three jets to Egypt to evacuate Nigerian nationals trapped following the weeklong conflict.

Onyeama made this known on Arise Television on Wednesday, April 26.

Recall that on Monday, April 24, Onyeama said he is willing to evacuate Nigerians stranded in Sudan.

Onyema in a statement on Monday said that Nigerian students and others stranded in war-ravaged Sudan have urgent “needs for our help.”

“Again, Air Peace is willing to evacuate Nigerians stranded in Sudan free of charge if the government can get them to a safe and secure airport in any of the neighboring countries bordering Sudan. Everything must not be left for the government and government alone,” Onyema said.

Confirming his plans, he said he has engaged the necessary authorities including the Nigerian Ambassador in Egypt, Nura Rimi.

"They told me it will take two days for them to get to Egypt by road. I wanted to deploy on Thursday but I have to do it on Friday. I will send about three jets out to Egpyt and I just pray no country will deny us overflight permit issues so that we can get there on time and start moving people early. I might send in 3 planes at a time," Onyeama told Arise TV.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government, on Monday, confirmed that some Nigerian students fleeing the conflict in Sudan were denied entry into Ethiopia, but stated that the situation was being handled.

The Federal Government said Nigerian authorities in Ethiopia were addressing the issue, as they had sought clearance for the fleeing students, stressing that it was, however, risky for the students to have embarked on such a journey.

This was as the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said on Tuesday that Sudan’s warring generals had agreed to a three-day ceasefire starting Tuesday (2200 GMT Monday), after previous bids to pause the conflict quickly disintegrated.