Saudi Arabia has identified about 11,600 Nigerians reportedly stranded in the country, many due to the coronavirus disease, and is making plans to airlift them back home.
A Nigerian Embassy official, who is privy to the development but asked not to be named as he was not authorised to speak to journalists, said the Saudi’s decision was contained in a letter addressed to the embassy a few weeks ago.
The source added that the list, according to the Saudis, includes Nigerians who had visited the country for umrah – a lesser hajj – and were held up by movement restrictions introduced by Saudi authorities as part of containment measures.
The kingdom, which recorded its index coronavirus case on March 2, had initially imposed a travel ban on some neighbouring countries before extending it to include European countries and 12 others, on March 12.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, confirmed the development, saying Nigeria’s logistics challenge has been responsible for the delay in the repatriation.
Speaking on Tuesday shortly after taking part in the daily media briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVId-19, Mr Onyeama told reporters that some of the stranded Nigerians would have landed about a week ago, but that the country does not have enough facilities to accommodate all of them for the 14-day quarantine period.
He said they have a capacity they can absorb and the medical people have to monitor them for two weeks for quarantine, adding that they have to finish the ones they have, before allowing some more.
The source revealed that in the letter, the Saudis noted that only 340 Nigerians have indicated their willingness to return home and is seeking the embassy’s cooperation in the search for the remaining 11,260.
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