Saudi Govt: 177 Nigerians came with irregular visas
One hundred and seventy-seven Nigerians aboard an Air Peace plane were denied entry into Saudi Arabia because they came with irregular visas, the Royal Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia clarified in Abuja yesterday.
The visas of the affected passengers were cancelled on arrival in Saudi Arabia and sent back to Nigeria by the authorities. 87 others onboard the plane were allowed entry.
The clarification came as the Federal Government urged the affected passengers to remain calm, stressing that a probe into the “unfortunate” incident had been launched.
According to the embassy, the affected passengers did not fulfill the entry conditions and requirements in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations of the Kingdom.
“They submitted incorrect information to obtain a category of visa that doesn’t apply to them”, a statement issued by the embassy explained yesterday.
Stressing the importance of following the procedures and laws enacted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for all visitors, the statement said: “All passengers should review all the documents to determine their conformity with the conditions prior departing from their countries to the kingdom.
“This procedure was not limited to Nigerian citizens only, but rather to citizens of other countries.” it said.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Francisca Omayuli, said the government had launched investigation to the incident.
According to her, reports received from the Nigerian Consulate in Jeddah showed that Air Peace Flight No. P4-752 transported 264 passengers from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and the Aminu Kano International Airport and landed at the King Abdul-Aziz International Airport – Hajj Terminal in Jeddah on Monday.
She said that on arrival at the Hajj Terminal, the Saudi immigration authorities informed the passengers that their visas had been cancelled and 177 passengers had to be evacuated on the same flight back to Nigeria.
The remaining 87 passengers were cleared by immigration and allowed entry into Jeddah, she added.
According to her, the Saudi authorities were yet to give reasons for the cancellation of the visas and the outright ban imposed on 18 of the passengers from Saudi Arabia for various offences they committed in the past.
“The affected passengers are, therefore, implored to keep calm, while the matter is being resolved,” a statement quoted Omayuli as saying.
The Air Peace yesterday absolved itself of any blame in the cancellation of the visas by Saudi Arabian authorities to 177 Nigerians that flew on the carrier to Jeddah Sunday.
The airline said it was cooperating with relevant authorities to unravel the cause of the infraction.
The airlines said it was constrained to clarify its position on the infraction because of conflicting reports and commentaries in the public domain.
In a statement by its Chief Operating Officer (COO), Mrs. Oluwatoyin Olajide, Air Peace said “that as a scheduled flight operator with vast experience in international operations, it understands and complies with established protocols governing international flight operations and was not culpable of any infraction in this respect”.
Mrs. Olajide said: “The visas of all passengers on the said flight to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia were checked and verified through the requisite procedures and were vetted to be valid before departure.
“The visas were verified using the visa confirmation platform provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saudi Arabia, which confirmed the validity of each passenger visa before passengers were allowed to check-in for the flight.
“The next step is the use of the Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS). We equally use this system to determine the admissibility or otherwise of each passenger on that flight”.
The House of Representatives on Tuesday launched an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the cancellation of visas.
This followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by four lawmakers.
