The Federal Government and House of Representatives said yesterday they were investigating the visa cancellation of 264 Nigerians by Saudi Arabia government.
Recall that the ministry of foreign affairs had said on Monday it was investigating to know whether any consular or aviation rule was violated by the Nigerian travellers and Air Peace which conveyed them to Saudi Arabia.
The Special Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs on Media and Communications Strategy, Alkasim Abdulkadir, said that the ministry was still investigating the matter and would make its findings known in due course.
”We are still investigating the matter and we have not concluded the investigation,” he told Vanguard on phone yesterday.
Also reacting to the development yesterday, spokesperson of the ministry, Mrs. Francisca Omayuli said:
“According to reports received from the Nigerian Consulate in Jeddah, Air Peace Flight No. P4-752 airlifted 264 passengers from the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos and the Aminu Kano International Airport and landed at the King Abdulaziz International Airport – Hajj Terminal Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Monday, November 13, 2023.
“It was on arrival at the Hajj Terminal that the Saudi Immigration authorities informed the passengers that their visas had been cancelled. Conseqently, 177 passengers were made to return on the same flight back to Nigeria, while 87 passengers were cleared by immigration and allowed entry into Jeddah.
“The Saudi authorities are yet to give reasons for the cancellation of the visas, except for 18 of the passengers who were outrightly banned from Saudi Arabia for various offences committed in the past.
”Notwithstanding the fact that it is the prerogative of a sovereign nation to determine who is permitted entry into its territory, Nigeria and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are traditional and strategic partners who are willing to guard against a recurrence of this unfortunate incident.