BY EDMOND ODOK – Following the backlash over its ill-treatment of the 264 passengers airlifted to Jeddah from Lagos and Kano on Sunday by Air Peace, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has finally offered an official explanation for the action considered an international embarrassment to Nigeria.
Speaking through its Royal Embassy in Abuja, Saudi Arabia said Nigerian passengers deported earlier this week failed to fulfil the entry conditions and requirements into the Kingdom.
The statement said; “The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Abuja would like to make a clarification about the media reports and Social Media releases concerning the deportation of Nigerian citizens at the point of entry into the Kingdom.
“The passengers who were denied entry, and subsequently deported to their initial destinations, didn’t fulfil the entry conditions and requirements in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations of the Kingdom, as they submitted incorrect information to obtain a category of visa that doesn’t apply to them, which was discovered upon their arrival.
“The Royal Embassy would like to stress the importance of following the procedures and laws enacted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for all visitors.
“Furthermore, all passengers should review all the documents to determine their conformity with the conditions prior to departing from their countries to the Kingdom. This procedure was not limited to Nigerian citizens only, but rather to citizens of other countries.”
The Federal Government had, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Monday vowed to investigate the cancellation of visas of all the 264 passengers to see if any consular or aviation rules have been flouted.
On Sunday night, the Air Peace flight took off from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos via the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano and landed at King Abdul-Aziz International Airport, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. However, to the dismay of the airline staff, the Saudi Arabian authorities announced that all the passengers’ visas had been cancelled.
Initially, the Saudi authorities had ordered the Airline to return all 264 passengers to Nigeria but later rescinded the decision with only 87 passengers allowed to remain.
The anger against Saudi Arabia arose from the fact that all the passengers had gone through the Advanced Passengers Information System (APIS) during the check-in formalities in Nigeria which was also monitored by the authorities in the West Asian nation.
