The first batch of Nigerians who fled the war in Sudan have returned to the country.

Due to the closure of Sudanese Airspace, the Federal Government made arrangement for them to be conveyed to Egypt by road from where they were to connect flights back home.

However, there was a major setback when the Egyptian authorities denied them access over documentation issues.

The logjam continued for days until the Nigerian intelligence network struck a deal with its Egyptian counterpart.

The Nigerians, who were airlifted on Wednesday evening, landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, around 11:30pm.

Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Sadiya Farouk; Chairman/CEO of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa; and the Director General of the National Management Emergency Agency (NEMA), Ahmed Mustapha, welcomed them back to the country.

The Minister disclosed that each of them would get N100,000 to enable them settle in.

There are at least three million Nigerians in Sudan, according to Dabiri-Erewa, who promised that the Federal Government would rescue as many citizens as possible.

Azman and Max Air planes left for Egypt for more evacuation.

Nigeria was able to rescue its citizens after the Sudanese warring factions declared ceasefire.

Daily Trust