THE Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has debunked reports that a bus conveying Nigerian students to Port Sudan from Khartoum, the Sudan capital, caught fire on Monday, May 1.

Head, Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, NIDCOM Abdur-Rahman Balogun debunked the reports in a chat with The ICIR on Monday, May 1.

However, he revealed that the vehicle suffered tyre burst.

“It was a tyre that got burst. No bus caught fire,” he said. 

The NiDCOM spokesman also noted that payments had been settled for the evacuation of the Nigerians leaving through Port Sudan, adding that they would be leaving early on Tuesday, May 2.

“They cannot move tonight. It is not safe. They will proceed first thing tomorrow morning,” he stated.

He added that clearance was still ongoing for Nigerians at the Egyptian border, as the conditions given for their entry into the country were quite stringent.

There were reports that a tyre on one of the buses moving Nigerians from Khartoum to Port Sudan exploded in the early hours of Monday, resulting in a fire. 

The Federal Government had contracted bus operators to evacuate Nigerians stranded in Sudan following the violence that broke out between two rival forces in the country.

Some Nigerians had been conveyed to the Egyptian border in hopes that they would be airlifted to Abuja from Aswan, Egypt.

However, the Nigerians remained unable to gain access into the country for four days. 

Though the Egyptian authorities opened the border on Monday following interventions by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, other batches of students are being evacuated through Port Sudan. By Ijeoma OPARA, ICIR