A video of some stranded Nigerians with their children at the Indira Gandhi international Airport, India has been making the rounds on social media.
In the video, the Nigerians were seen with their children sitting on the bare floor, while others were seated on chairs.
According to the video recorder, some of them don’t have where to go as they have sold all they had.
He noted that one of them was a cancer stage four patient who has been advised by her doctor to go back to her country.
He stated that the stranded people applied for evacuation, but on getting the the airport, out of about 250, only 89 could be airlifted in the first flight back home.
The voice appealed with the Federal Government to negotiate with the Indian authorities.
The Eagle Online recalls that a chartered flight by Ethiopian Airlines brought back the first batch of Nigerians.
The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reacted to the development in a press release, titled: “Evacuation of Nigerians from India, Friday, 10th, December, 2022.”
The release stated that the information was inaccurate, misleading and not well intended.
The press release reads: “The attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been drawn to the video making the rounds on social media showing some stranded Nigerians at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, India.
“The said Nigerians were purportedly refused evacuation to Nigeria on Friday, 16th December, 2022.
“The information is inaccurate, misleading and not well intended.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria on Friday, 16th December, 2022 provided a chartered flight to evacuate Nigerians who had been in custody of the Indian authorities, awaiting deportation for reasons such as over stay and completion of various prison terms.
“However, some other persons who had not gone through the required procedure for repatriation showed up at the airport on the day of the flight to request evacuation.
“Following the intervention of the Nigerian High Commission and officials handling the evacuation exercise, a number of this category of persons who met the conditions for evacuation were cleared and accommodated on the flight.
“Consequently, a total number of 191 were evacuated from India on the special flight, excluding five officials.
“This number comprised of 152 males, 42 females and an infant.
“However, a few other Nigerians couldn’t make the evacuation flight due to their inability to meet with the required condition set by the Foreigner Regional Officer of the Indian Bureau of Immigration for reasons such as no record of entry into India, children with proxy parents, those who entered India with passport other than Nigerian passport, presentation of documentation of FRO forms; and inability to file the application form for exit permit.
“The Nigerian High Commission in India has appealed to those who could not make the evacuation list to exercise patience and understanding, while efforts are being made to ensure that all affected Nigerians are accommodated in the next batch of the evacuation exercise.
“In the meantime, the Federal Government is deeply concerned about what has become a trend, where some travel to foreign countries on their own volition, and become stranded due to insufficient knowledge of the country and inadequate preparation.
“Equally worrisome are those who have made it a habit to at the spur of the moment, take advantage of the slightest opportunity to propagate unverified information on issues they have little or no knowledge about.
“These attitudes cause unnecessary anxiety in families and misinform the general public.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, therefore wishes to emphasize the imperative of being knowledgeable about the entry and exit procedure of the country being visited, so as to be well guarded to avoid unpleasant consequences.”