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Another 268 Nigerians evacuated from South Africa over ongoing xenophobic attacks arrived safely in Lagos on Friday, as the Federal Government reaffirmed its commitment to bringing home citizens affected by the unrest.
The returnees were flown aboard an Air Peace chartered aircraft from Johannesburg to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. The flight also conveyed two government officials and crew members overseeing the evacuation.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, said the evacuation was carried out on the directive of President Bola Tinubu, who ordered that the exercise should continue despite the expiration of the June 30 deadline earlier issued by anti-migrant groups in South Africa.
“The President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, has directed that the evacuation of Nigerian nationals from South Africa at risk as a result of the ongoing xenophobic protests and attacks continues, even after the deadline of 30th June 2026,” she said.
According to the minister, the Federal Government-funded flight departed O.R. Tambo International Airport at 5:36 a.m., adding that the latest operation followed three earlier evacuation flights that had already returned nearly 600 Nigerians before the June 30 deadline.
She stressed that the repatriation programme remains open to all Nigerians who voluntarily registered and successfully completed the required screening process”The evacuations remain ongoing. The Federal Government is committed to bringing home safely our Nationals who voluntarily registered to be evacuated and have been duly screened and cleared,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu stated.
Reaffirming the government’s responsibility to protect Nigerians abroad, the minister said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs remained committed to safeguarding citizens wherever they reside.
“Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in adherence to that unbreakable bond between citizen and state, remains dedicated to this mandate,” she said, describing the protection of Nigerians overseas as “a central pillar of the Renewed Hope Agenda.”
The latest evacuation comes as anti-immigrant protests continue to spread across parts of South Africa, with demonstrators blaming undocumented foreign nationals for unemployment, crime and pressure on public services.
The unrest has reportedly claimed at least four lives, prompting several African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique, to organise voluntary repatriation flights for their citizens.
The Federal Government has also indicated that it will engage South African authorities over compensation for Nigerians who lost businesses and properties during the attacks.
