The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has reacted to the reports that it rejected 177 Nigerian passengers at the point of entry on arrival in Jeddah.
BizPoint reports that the Saudi Arabian government had on Monday, November 13, cancelled the visa of 177 passengers airlifted by Nigeria’s major carrier, Air Peace, on arrival at the country from Kano, insisting that they be returned to Nigeria.
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However, the Federal Government through the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Tuesday, urged all affected passengers of Air Peace who had their visas cancelled and subsequently deported by from Saudi Arabia to remain calm as it has launched investigation into the matter.
The government said that although the Saudi authorities were yet to provide reasons for the cancellation of the visas, it noted that both Nigeria and Saudi Arabia had begun a probe aimed at resolving the issue.
But, reacting to the development, the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Abuja clarified that the passengers whom were denied entry, and subsequently deported to Nigeria didn’t fulfill the entry conditions and requirements in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations of the Kingdom.
According to the embassy, in a statement sent to BizPoint on Wednesday night, the affected passengers submitted incorrect information to obtain a category of visa that does not apply to them, which was discovered upon their arrival.
“The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Ab
would like to make a clarification about the media reports and Social Media releases concerning the deportation of Nigerian citizens at the point of entry into the Kingdom.
“The passengers whom were denied entry, and subsequently deported to their initial destinations, didn’t fulfill the entry conditions and requirements in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations of the Kingdom, as they submitted incorrect information to obtain a category of visa that doesn’t apply to them, which was discovered upon their arrival.
“The Royal Embassy would like to stress the importance of following the procedures and laws enacted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for all visitors,” the statement added.
The embassy advised passengers to review all the documents to determine their conformity with the conditions prior to departing from their countries to the Kingdom.
“This procedure was not limited to Nigerian citizens only, but rather to citizens of other countries,” it concluded.
