After a ministry meeting held behind closed doors in Abuja, Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, Permanent Secretary of the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry and Chair of the Situation Room on the evacuation of Nigerians from Sudan, provided the justification.
He clarified that 40 buses were purchased for the proper evacuation of Nigerian citizens who were stranded in Sudan, and that $30,000 per bus had been paid.
He also discussed the delays that Nigerians encountered at the Egyptian border, the payment delays brought on by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Egyptian government's demands for payment of visa fees.
He claimed that the bus owners demanded full payment and noted that sending money to Sudan could only be done indirectly through middlemen. He quickly clarified that both the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and the Department of State Services (DSS) have been involved in the payment process.