Another group of Nigerians displaced by the ongoing wave of anti-migrant violence in South Africa has arrived safely in Lagos as the Federal Government continues its evacuation exercise for citizens willing to return home.
The latest batch landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Friday aboard an Air Peace charter flight organised by the Federal Government.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, disclosed that the aircraft transported 268 Nigerian returnees, in addition to two officials and crew members, from Johannesburg to Lagos.
She explained that the special evacuation flight departed Oliver Tambo International Airport at 5:36 a.m.
In a statement shared on her official X handle, the minister revealed that President Bola Tinubu directed that the evacuation operation 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.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu noted that before the expiration of the ultimatum, three previous evacuation flights had already brought nearly 600 Nigerians back to the country.
She assured that the Federal Government would continue the exercise for all Nigerians who voluntarily registered and successfully completed the necessary screening procedures.
“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,” the minister stated.
She reiterated that safeguarding the welfare of Nigerians living abroad remains one of the priorities of President Tinubu’s administration.
According to her, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs remains committed to protecting Nigerian citizens wherever they may be.
“Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in adherence to that unbreakable bond between citizen and state, remains dedicated to this mandate,” she added, describing the protection of Nigerians overseas as “a central pillar of the Renewed Hope Agenda.”
The latest evacuation comes as anti-immigrant demonstrations continue to spread across parts of South Africa.
Protesters have been demanding the removal of undocumented foreign nationals, accusing them of contributing to unemployment and placing additional pressure on public services.
The recent wave of unrest has reportedly claimed at least four lives and forced several African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique, to organise voluntary evacuation programmes for their nationals.
The Federal Government has also indicated that it will engage the South African authorities on the issue of compensation for Nigerian-owned businesses and properties abandoned or damaged as a result of the violence.
