Saudi Arabia Revokes The Visas Of 264 Nigerian Travelers Following Their Arrival In Jeddah

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Prince Mohammed bin Salman

The Saudi Arabian government, which insisted that the 264 passengers airlifted by Nigeria's main carrier, Air Peace, be returned to Nigeria, shook the aviation and diplomatic communities in Nigeria yesterday

On Monday, November 13, over 264 Nigerians who took a plane from Lagos and Kano States to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, were sent back from the Asian nation.

The Nigerians, majority of whom were going to perform lesser Hajj (Umrah), were turned back at the airport moments after they arrived the country via Air Peace airline.

According to reports, the Saudi authorities canceled their visas and demanded that the airline send them back to Nigeria.

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 on Monday.

However, the Saudi Arabian authorities reported that all of the passengers' visas had been cancelled, much to the airline staff's dismay.

This was the case even though the Saudi authorities were also keeping an eye on the passengers when they traveled through the Advanced Passengers Information System (APIS) in Nigeria for the purpose of checking in.

According to reports, Air Peace started a direct trip to Jeddah last week, and it has been experiencing a high load factor.

People with knowledge of the development confirmed it.

"The screening of passengers from the MMIA and Kano Airport was thorough and there was no issue with the visas.

"These were people who were duly issued the visa and they passed through the advanced passenger information system which is accessible to both authorities in Lagos and Jeddah.

"We are surprised because this cancellation was announced when the flight already landed.

"We are suspecting this is a strategy to frustrate the Nigerian carrier out of the route, some people are definitely not happy with the option Air Peace is providing, the direct flight to Jeddah as against using another foreign airline which attracts higher fares."

It was discovered that the Saudi authorities had reduced the number of passengers scheduled to be repatriated from 264 to 177 when the Nigerian ambassador entered the country.