271 Nigerians Evacuated From South Africa Arrive Lagos
A fresh batch of 271 Nigerians evacuated from South Africa arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Tuesday under the Federal Government’s voluntary repatriation programme.
The evacuees arrived aboard an Air Peace flight shortly before 11:00 a.m. after departing Johannesburg at about 5:00 a.m. local time.
They were received by officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM).
The latest evacuation is part of the Federal Government’s ongoing efforts to assist Nigerians who have chosen to return home amid rising anti-immigration tensions in South Africa.
The exercise comes ahead of a June 30 deadline reportedly issued by vigilante groups and other organisations demanding that undocumented migrants leave the country.
Earlier this month, President Bola Tinubu approved the voluntary evacuation programme for Nigerians willing to return from South Africa.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced that five Air Peace evacuation flights had been approved after more than 500 Nigerians registered for repatriation.
Before Tuesday’s operation, 328 Nigerians had already been evacuated in two batches.
The first batch of 262 Nigerians arrived in Lagos on June 11, while another 66 returned on June 25.
In a statement issued on Monday, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, confirmed that an Air Peace aircraft would depart Nigeria on Monday and return with the latest batch of evacuees.
“The return flight is scheduled to depart South Africa at 12:00 midnight and is expected to arrive at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, on Tuesday morning. This will bring home 271 additional Nigerians who have volunteered to return,” Ebienfa said.
He added that about 700 more Nigerians could be evacuated, depending on the situation in South Africa.
Also speaking, Air Peace spokesperson, Efe Osifo-Whiskey, had said the airline was preparing to evacuate 271 Nigerians but disclosed that the flight was delayed before departure from Nigeria.
“The aircraft has not departed yet. They will let me know when it is time, but I do not know the reason for the delay. We are looking at evacuating 271 people, but let us see what happens when they arrive in Lagos,” he said.
Meanwhile, security was tightened across parts of South Africa on Tuesday as police maintained a strong presence in major cities following anti-immigration demonstrations.
In Johannesburg, several businesses remained closed while security personnel were deployed across parts of the city as residents and commuters went about their daily activities.
The protests were organised by a coalition of small political parties and citizen-led vigilante groups demanding the removal of undocumented migrants.
In Durban, protesters dressed in traditional Zulu attire gathered in a public park, singing and chanting “Abahambe” (“Let them go”) as security operatives monitored the demonstration.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
