From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
House of Representatives has resolved to probe the circumstances surrounding the cancellation of visa already granted to 264 Nigerians by the Saudi authorities on their arrival at Jeddah.
Consequently, the House mandated its Committees on Foreign Affairs, Interior and Pilgrims Affairs, to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the visa cancellations. The committees are expected to report back to the House within two weeks for further legislative actions.
The House, while condemning the cancellation of the visas, urged the Federal Government to urgently take such diplomatic steps as may be necessary to protect the image of the nation, ensure the full implementation of the BASA, protect Nigerian national carriers flying into Saudi Arabia, and as well protect the Nigerian travelling public.
This followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance by Kama Nkemkanma and three others, to investigate the circumstances surrounding the cancellation of the visas.
Nkemkanma, in his lead debate, informed the House that the Saudi Arabian authorities cancelled the visa of all the 264 passengers airlifted by Air Peace from Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport,on arrival at Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, on Monday. “All the passengers went through the Advanced Passengers Pre-screening System, (APPS), which was also monitored live by the Saudi Arabia authorities before the flight left Nigeria.”
The lawmaker expressed worry that even the Saudi immigration personnel could not locate who authorized the cancellation of the visas, even when the APPS which was live between both countries was concluded and the airline was already airborne to Jeddah. This, he said, was revealed by sources at the Nigerian Embassy in Jeddah.
He added that upon the intervention of the Nigerian Embassy in Saudi, the authorities were said to have reduced the number of passengers that would be returned to Nigeria from 264 to 170.