The Federal government has confirmed commencement of investigation into the cancellation of the visas of all 264 passengers by the Saudi Arabian authorities.
The affected passengers were airlifted to Jeddah from Lagos and Kano on Sunday.
Saudi Arabia had cancelled the visas of all 264 passengers airlifted by Nigeria’s major carrier, Air Peace, on arrival in Jeddah from Kano and insisted that the airline return them to Nigeria.
The flight took off from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, via the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, on Sunday night and arrived in Saudi Arabia’s major city today without issues. Still, on landing, the Saudi Arabian authorities announced that all the passenger’s visas were cancelled.
Meanwhile, Alkasim Abdulkadir, the Special Assistant on Media Strategy to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is investigating the matter to ascertain if any consular or aviation rules were flouted.
“The ministry will ensure such actions that impact the welfare of Nigerian citizens are mitigated in the future in line with the 4 Ds strategy of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Nigeria recently participated in the Saudi-Africa Summit, where bilateral discussions covering several sectors of the economy and mutually beneficial commitments were made,” Abdulkadir noted in statement.