The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Abuja has released a statement shedding light on the recent visa cancellations affecting Air Peace passengers.
The embassy clarified that the visas were revoked due to the passengers’ failure to fulfill the entry conditions of the Arab country and the submission of incorrect information.
In the statement issued on Wednesday, the Saudi embassy highlighted that the applicable rules and regulations of Saudi Arabia were not met, leading to the cancellation of the visas.
The passengers, upon arrival in Jeddah, were found to have submitted incorrect information to obtain a category of visa that did not apply to them.
“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 embassy stated.
“The passengers whom were denied entry, and subsequently deported to their initial destinations, didn’t fulfill 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 departing from their countries to the Kingdom.”
It emphasized that the visa cancellation procedure was not exclusive to Nigerian citizens but extended to citizens of other countries as well.