Nigerians stranded in crisis-ridden Libya may have to wait a little longer before being evacuated as Libyan authorities have refused to grant landing permit to the aircraft and personnel designated to bring them home.
President Goodluck Jonathan had on Wednesday ordered the immediate evacuation of Nigerians stranded in the troubled country.
However, sources at the National Emergency Management Agency told THISDAY last night that the team for the evacuation and the aircraft chartered for the purpose could not fly to Tripoli since Thursday as they are still awaiting diplomatic clearance from Libya.
"The Director-General of NEMA, Sani Sidi, who is the leader of the team and others have been on standby at the airport since Thursday waiting for the clearance from Libya. Others in the team are foreign affairs officers, medical personnel and immigration/rescue officers. We are still waiting for clearance," said another NEMA source.
NEMA Spokesman Yushau Shuaib confirmed the problems being faced by the Nigerian team, saying the agency would keep trying until it gets the necessary clearance to enter Libya for the evacuation exercise.
Nigerian embassy sources in Tripoli told THISDAY last night that there are about 2,000 distressed Nigerians in Libya who are eagerly awaiting evacuation.
They are said to be getting a raw deal in the hands of Libyan security men who have been brutally repressing the uprising.
The source said when the embassy was finding it difficult getting clearance for the evacuation team, at a point, it considered the idea of asking the distressed Nigerians to either move to Egypt or Mecca in Saudi Arabia, "from where the NEMA team will go and pick them."
However, the Nigerian embassy dropped the idea for fears that the Nigerians may be exposed to more dangers if they should attempt crossing Libyan land borders.
The embassy source further disclosed that the Libyan authorities have unenthusiastic about the issuance of the clearance to NEMA difficult because Libya views Nigeria as an unfriendly country.
This, the source said has been responsible for the frosty relationship between the two countries in the last ten years. As a result of this, Libya closed its embassy in Nigeria over ten years ago. However, Nigeria still maintains an embassy in Tripoli.
Meanwhile, anti-government protesters in Tripoli came under heavy gunfire yesterday, with many feared killed.
Protests in the city resumed as protesters seeking the overthrow of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi emerged from mosques following Friday prayers.
They were confronted by a force of troops and militiamen who opened fire on them in the Souq al-Jomaa area as they headed towards Green Square. Snipers on rooftops are also said to have fired on the marchers.
Reports of anti-government protesters being fired on have also come from other areas of the capital including Fashloom, Janzour and Zawlyat al-Dahmani.
"Many people are being killed right now in Tripoli, I just got a few phone calls from friends who witnessed people going out of mosques being shot at," one Tripoli resident told the BBC.
"I am very scared to leave the house. I was planning to visit my parents, but they called me and told me not to go out because there's heavy security on the main roads, stopping cars for checks. We haven't left the house for six days, apart from going out to buy bread. The city is completely closed," another resident told the BBC
President Goodluck Jonathan had on Wednesday ordered the immediate evacuation of Nigerians stranded in the troubled country.
However, sources at the National Emergency Management Agency told THISDAY last night that the team for the evacuation and the aircraft chartered for the purpose could not fly to Tripoli since Thursday as they are still awaiting diplomatic clearance from Libya.
"The Director-General of NEMA, Sani Sidi, who is the leader of the team and others have been on standby at the airport since Thursday waiting for the clearance from Libya. Others in the team are foreign affairs officers, medical personnel and immigration/rescue officers. We are still waiting for clearance," said another NEMA source.
NEMA Spokesman Yushau Shuaib confirmed the problems being faced by the Nigerian team, saying the agency would keep trying until it gets the necessary clearance to enter Libya for the evacuation exercise.
Nigerian embassy sources in Tripoli told THISDAY last night that there are about 2,000 distressed Nigerians in Libya who are eagerly awaiting evacuation.
They are said to be getting a raw deal in the hands of Libyan security men who have been brutally repressing the uprising.
The source said when the embassy was finding it difficult getting clearance for the evacuation team, at a point, it considered the idea of asking the distressed Nigerians to either move to Egypt or Mecca in Saudi Arabia, "from where the NEMA team will go and pick them."
However, the Nigerian embassy dropped the idea for fears that the Nigerians may be exposed to more dangers if they should attempt crossing Libyan land borders.
The embassy source further disclosed that the Libyan authorities have unenthusiastic about the issuance of the clearance to NEMA difficult because Libya views Nigeria as an unfriendly country.
This, the source said has been responsible for the frosty relationship between the two countries in the last ten years. As a result of this, Libya closed its embassy in Nigeria over ten years ago. However, Nigeria still maintains an embassy in Tripoli.
Meanwhile, anti-government protesters in Tripoli came under heavy gunfire yesterday, with many feared killed.
Protests in the city resumed as protesters seeking the overthrow of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi emerged from mosques following Friday prayers.
They were confronted by a force of troops and militiamen who opened fire on them in the Souq al-Jomaa area as they headed towards Green Square. Snipers on rooftops are also said to have fired on the marchers.
Reports of anti-government protesters being fired on have also come from other areas of the capital including Fashloom, Janzour and Zawlyat al-Dahmani.
"Many people are being killed right now in Tripoli, I just got a few phone calls from friends who witnessed people going out of mosques being shot at," one Tripoli resident told the BBC.
"I am very scared to leave the house. I was planning to visit my parents, but they called me and told me not to go out because there's heavy security on the main roads, stopping cars for checks. We haven't left the house for six days, apart from going out to buy bread. The city is completely closed," another resident told the BBC
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