Saudi Arabia: Why we denied entry of 264 Nigerian passengers

The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, in Abuja explained that the Nigerian passengers deported earlier this week didn’t fulfil the entry conditions and requirements into the kingdom.

It would be recalled that the Saudi Arabian Authorities on Sunday, cancelled the visas of all the 264 passengers who were airlifted to Jeddah from Lagos and Kano.

The statement reads, “The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Abuja 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 who were denied entry, and subsequently deported to their initial destinations, didn’t fulfil 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.

“Furthermore, all passengers should 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.”

Following the cancellation of visas of all 264 passengers, the Nigerian government through the Ministry of Foreign had on Monday vowed to investigate the matter to see if any consular or aviation rules have been flouted.

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.
But to the consternation of the airline staff, the Saudi Arabian authorities announced that all the passengers’ visas had been cancelled.