Another 271 Nigerians have returned home from South Africa under the Federal Government’s voluntary evacuation programme, as authorities continue efforts to assist citizens opting to leave amid rising anti-immigration tensions.
The latest batch arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Tuesday aboard an Air Peace flight that departed Johannesburg at about 5:00 a.m. local time before landing shortly before 11:00 a.m.
Officials from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) were at the airport to receive the returnees and coordinate their arrival.
The evacuation exercise follows growing concerns over the safety of undocumented migrants in South Africa after vigilante groups and other organisations issued a June 30 deadline demanding that foreign nationals without legal status leave the country.
President Bola Tinubu approved the voluntary repatriation initiative earlier this month, allowing Nigerians who wish to return home to do so safely. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had earlier announced that five Air Peace evacuation flights were approved after more than 500 Nigerians registered for the programme.
Before Tuesday’s operation, 328 Nigerians had already been evacuated in two separate batches. The first flight brought back 262 returnees on June 11, while another 66 arrived in Lagos on June 25. With the latest flight, the total number of Nigerians repatriated under the programme has risen to approximately 599.
The Federal Government said the evacuation is being carried out in partnership with Air Peace and relevant government agencies to ensure a safe and orderly return for all registered Nigerians.
Meanwhile, tensions remain high in parts of South Africa. Shops in central Johannesburg remained closed on Tuesday, while police maintained a heavy security presence as commuters travelled to work. In Durban, groups of protesters dressed in traditional Zulu attire gathered, chanting “abahambe”—meaning “Let them go”—as security personnel monitored the demonstrations.
