The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), yesterday said it would begin the evacuation of stranded Nigerians from Sudan today. The agency said the evacuation will be done via road from Khartoum to Cairo in Egypt.

NEMA said plans have been made to evacuate about 2,650 to 2,800 people first including students, embassy staff and their families. This was announced yesterday by the Director Of Special Duties of NEMA, Dr. Onimode Bandele, during an interview monitored on Channels. Speaking on whether those in the embassies have been evacuated while leaving out students, he said: “The truth is, nobody has been evacuated yet.

“I just spoke to the Ambassador in Khartoum, Olaniyan a few minutes ago and the truth is, it is true that there are plans to get buses to start movement tomorrow (Tuesday) morning and as I speak with you, the Director General of NEMA, Mustapha Ahmed, is already in Cairo because that is the window that we are looking at.

“We have a town called Luxor and another one.So, the movement is to be perfected between the Embassy in Khartoum and the DG NEMA who is already in Cairo.” On the numbers to be evacuated, he said: “Our projection was both students and others, they are about 5000 but my discussion with the Ambassador this morning, the plan is for