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The Federal Government has evacuated another 282 Nigerians from South Africa as part of its ongoing repatriation exercise following the wave of xenophobic attacks targeting foreign nationals in the country.
The latest batch arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, aboard an Air Peace flight on Thursday night, bringing the total number of Nigerians repatriated since the evacuation began on June 11 to 1,141.
The evacuation follows growing concerns over the safety of Nigerians in South Africa after anti-immigrant protests intensified in several communities.
More than 1,000 Nigerians had earlier indicated their willingness to return home through the Federal Government’s evacuation programme.
Ahead of the latest flight, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, urged Nigerians still stranded in South Africa to take advantage of the government’s evacuation initiative.
She assured affected citizens that the government would not abandon anyone who had registered for the programme, saying, “The Federal Government will ensure that no Nigerian who has indicated interest in returning home is left behind.”
Her appeal came after reports confirmed the deaths of two more Nigerians in South Africa, raising the official death toll from the recent xenophobic violence to four.
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However, some of the returnees have claimed that the actual number of casualties may be higher.
Although South African rights groups had issued an unofficial June 30 deadline for undocumented migrants to leave the country, Nigeria’s evacuation exercise has continued to assist citizens willing to return home.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed that the repatriation programme is nearing completion.
Ministry spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa said the fifth and final evacuation flight is scheduled to arrive in Nigeria next week, marking the end of the government’s airlift operation.
He stated, “The fifth flight will arrive in Nigeria next week.”
The Federal Government has maintained that it will continue working through diplomatic channels to safeguard the welfare of Nigerians abroad while providing support for those affected by the unrest in South Africa.
