A fresh batch of 271 Nigerians evacuated from South Africa under the Federal Government’s voluntary repatriation programme arrived in Lagos on Tuesday.
The evacuees were airlifted aboard an Air Peace flight, which landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport shortly before 11 a.m. after departing Johannesburg earlier in the day.
The returnees were received by officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM).
The evacuation is part of the Federal Government’s ongoing efforts to assist Nigerians who have chosen to return home amid growing anti-immigration tensions in South Africa.
The repatriation exercise comes ahead of a June 30 deadline reportedly issued by some vigilante groups and organisations urging undocumented migrants to leave the country.
Earlier this month, President Bola Tinubu approved a voluntary evacuation programme for Nigerians willing to return from South Africa. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently announced that five Air Peace flights had been approved after more than 500 Nigerians registered for repatriation.
Before Tuesday’s operation, 328 Nigerians had already returned in two separate batches. The first flight brought back 262 evacuees on June 11, while another 66 arrived in Lagos on June 25.
Confirming the latest evacuation in a statement issued on Monday, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said the Air Peace aircraft was scheduled to depart Nigeria on Monday and return with 271 Nigerians who volunteered to come home.
“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 developments in South Africa.
Also speaking before the operation, Air Peace spokesperson, Efe Osifo-Whiskey, confirmed that the airline was preparing to evacuate 271 Nigerians but disclosed that the aircraft’s departure from Nigeria had been delayed.
“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 visible presence in major cities following anti-immigration protests.
In Johannesburg, several businesses remained shut while security personnel were deployed across parts of the city as residents and commuters went about their activities.
In Durban, demonstrators, many dressed in traditional Zulu attire, gathered in a public park chanting “Abahambe,” meaning “Let them go,” as security operatives monitored the protest.
The demonstrations were organised by a coalition of small political parties and citizen-led vigilante groups demanding the removal of undocumented migrants from the country.
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