Egyptian authorities order Nigerian students back to Sudan

Egyptian authorities have sent over 500 students back to Sudan following the failure of two of them to provide either a passport or Emergency Travel Certificate.

According to a voice note of a Nigerian official obtained by The PUNCH correspondent on Friday morning, students without passports or ETC had been instructed to stay back.

The official added that two students without any of the documents were impatient and joined their colleagues, adding that the Egyptian authorities were angry and ordered that all the students should be taken back to Sudan to get the needed permits.

The voice note said, “Our children have spoiled the efforts that the Federal Government is putting in place to airlift them. All the students that have passports were allowed to move to the Egypt airport and those that do not have were asked to wait behind and an ETC will be issued to them as a formal document for them to travel. Out of impatience, two students without passports or ETC sneaked in.

“Now, the two students were discovered at the Aswan airport and the Egyptian authorities are angry. Now, all the stranded Nigerians have to go back to Sudan. They conveyed over 500 Nigerians and everyone will go back to Sudan. They will have to get an exit permit and then get another permit back to Egypt. This will cause a delay of almost 10 hours.”

The official also said that the issue was on the whereabouts of a little child could not be ascertained.

“Also, in the midst of the confusion, a child sneaked into Egypt. We cannot find him. Legal actions would be taken against the two students.”

The official also warned students at Port Sudan to behave in a coordinated manner to avoid being returned back to Khartoum.