The Federal Government has successfully evacuated a second batch of 66 Nigerians from South Africa, bringing the total number of citizens repatriated under its emergency evacuation programme to 324.
The intervention follows a recent wave of renewed xenophobic attacks targeting foreign nationals in South Africa.
The latest group of returnees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos at approximately 8:50 p.m. on Wednesday, following an initial batch of 258 Nigerians who were flown home on June 11.
The repatriation exercise was officially confirmed by Kimiebi Ebienfa, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to Dipo Onabowale, the Head of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) Lagos Office, the emergency flight was generously facilitated by Kunle Soname, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ValueJet.
Officials from the Nigerian High Commission in South Africa also accompanied the citizens on their journey back home to ensure a seamless transit.
Speaking on behalf of NiDCOM Chairman, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Onabowale expressed deep gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for swiftly approving the evacuation of citizens willing to return.
He further assured the public that the operational challenges experienced during the first phase of the evacuation had been actively addressed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Foreign Affairs Minister, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, reiterated the administration’s firm commitment to ensuring that every registered Nigerian wishing to leave South Africa is safely brought home.
To cushion the impact of their displacement, NiDCOM announced comprehensive resettlement and financial assistance packages for the returnees.
Notably, indigenes of Imo State among the evacuees are set to receive ₦1 million each, courtesy of Governor Hope Uzodimma.
Furthermore, corporate and religious organizations stepped in with immediate relief; MTN Nigeria provided free SIM cards loaded with ₦50,000 worth of data, while an additional ₦100,000 cash was credited directly to each returnee’s bank account.
Pastor Bolaji Idowu, the founder of Harvesters International Christian Centre, also donated ₦100,000 to every evacuee.
Upon their arrival, the returnees expressed profound gratitude to President Tinubu, ValueJet’s Kunle Soname, the Acting Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa, Ambassador Temitope Ajayi, and NiDCOM leadership for orchestrating their safe rescue.
A multi-agency task force—including officials from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, the Nigeria Immigration Service, and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN)—was on the ground at the Lagos airport to receive and process the citizens.
