Nigerian govt probes cancellation of 264 passengers’ visas to Saudi Arabia

The Federal Government, on Monday, said it had started an investigation into the cancellation of visas of 264 Nigerian passengers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

According to reports, the passengers were airlifted to Jeddah from Lagos and Kano on Sunday.

The flight took off from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos via the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano on Sunday night and landed at King Abdul-Aziz International Airport, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Arabian authorities, however, announced that all the passengers’ visas had been cancelled despite the fact that the passengers went through the Advanced Passengers Information System during the check-in formalities in Nigeria which was also monitored by the Saudi authorities.

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Reacting to the development, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, in a statement by the media aide to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, AlKasim Abdulkadir, said it is now investigating the matter to see if any consular or aviation rules have been flouted.

The statement read in part: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is investigating the matter to see if any consular or aviation rules have been flouted.

“The Ministry will ensure such actions that impact the welfare of Nigerian citizens are mitigated in the future in line with the 4Ds strategy of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“Nigeria has just participated in the Saudi-Africa Summit where bilateral discussions covering several sectors of the economy and mutually beneficial commitments were made.”

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