DAILY TRUST
Details have emerged on how Nigeria secured a passage through the Egyptian borders for Nigerian citizens fleeing ever-increasing fighting in the crisis-ridden Sudan.
There had been reports of difficulties faced by Nigerian officials involved in the evacuation process, including demand by Egyptian authorities for visas before entry, a situation which left thousands of Nigerian evacuees stranded at the border since last week Thursday.
However, the situation turned positive on Sunday when the borders were flung open, with conditions, to Nigerians, following series of deft moves by top security and intelligence operatives in both countries, through some backdoor channels.
According to reliable security sources, Egyptian authorities started admitting Nigerian evacuees on Monday after Nigerian security and intelligence community started deploying their contacts and connections with their Egyptian counterparts, to remove some of the hurdles that had frustrated Nigerian representatives’ efforts.
A very highly placed source in the security community, who spoke under conditions of anonymity, in Abuja on Tuesday, said on President Muhammadu Buhari’s instruction, the National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Major General Babagana Monguno, reached out to his Egyptian counterpart, Faiza Abou el-Naga, who pulled strings that have made the evacuation process smooth.
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