365NEWS gathered that Over 300 Nigerians travelling from different parts of the world on board Air France are stranded in Chad after the connecting flight from Paris developed a fault and landed in Chad
Among the stranded Nigerians are elderly men and women as well as children.
The passengers have lamented that since Friday they arrived in Chad and were “dumped” there, the authorities of the air France have not been communicating to them,.
They said that they were told that the aircraft developed a fault and had to land in Chad.
One of the passengers and a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon Ehiozuwa Johnson Agbonayinma popularly called “EJ”, told Vanguard that he left America for Nigeria on Thursday on board Air France.
EJ, who is a board member of the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, representing the South South Zone, noted with dismay that they were treated like animals by Air France.
He said, “I just want to tell Nigerians the agony we are going through, we came in yesterday (Friday) through air France, there was an issue with the aircraft, we never knew that they were going to take us from America or Canada or any other part of the world to Chad.
“We got to Chad, there was an issue with the aircraft, as I am talking now, we don’t know our fate, they dumped us here, they initially told us we will be taken to Abuja, Nigeria, but we have now been told that today (Saturday) and tomorrow’s flights have been cancelled.
“For now, we don’t know our fate. The Minister of Aviation we know what you can do please come to our aid, we have elderly men and women, and children going through pains, this is not what we bargain for, this is unacceptable, they can’t do this to the whites it’s only Nigerians and Africans.
“They have treated us as if we are animals but we are not, we are over 300 here stranded.”
Another female passenger said, “We left from New Jersey to Abuja, they left us here, they said that the aircraft had an issue and they brought us to Chad, they have refused to come and pick us back, this is the worst thing that can happen to anybody.
“We are in a hot place, we are pleading with air France to come and take us out of here. In my opinion, we are in an unknown place, I do not want to be here, I don’t want to leave New Jersey and be in Chad.
“We are less down two hours to Abuja, I don’t want to be here for three days, my flight was supposed to be on the 31st and I am supposed to be in Abuja for only five days, I don’t want to spend three days out of five days in Chad, I don’t want to do that.”
One of the passengers said if Nigeria has a viable airline that’s working it will just be a matter of phone call, adding, “we are dumped here like nobody. They don’t even ask us if we will eat, no staff of an air France has addressed us, it’s unfortunate.”
The passengers said that as at the time they were dumped in Chad in a hotel, there was no communication to them about their accommodation and feeding until when they protested and the hotel management had to get in touch with air France before they were given an accommodation.
