FG to repatriate final 315 Nigerians from South Africa in last evacuation flight

The Federal Government has announced that the fifth and final evacuation flight carrying 315 stranded Nigerians from South Africa will arrive at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Wednesday, July 15, bringing to an end a coordinated emergency repatriation exercise launched in response to recent xenophobic attacks in the country.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the final batch of returnees will be flown into Nigeria aboard an Air Peace aircraft after departing Johannesburg at 1:30 a.m. local time. The flight is expected to land in Lagos at about 6:30 a.m. Nigerian time.

The 315 passengers are the last group of Nigerians who registered with the Nigerian Consulate in South Africa and requested voluntary evacuation following weeks of anti-immigrant violence, intimidation and disruption of their businesses and livelihoods.

The evacuation exercise was initiated after renewed xenophobic unrest spread across several South African cities, including Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and other communities, where foreign nationals reportedly faced attacks, destruction of businesses and threats from groups accusing immigrants of taking jobs and placing pressure on public services.

The unrest also prompted several African countries to evacuate their citizens, with governments including Malawi, Ghana, Mozambique, Kenya and Uganda launching emergency evacuation programmes for nationals affected by the violence.

Despite repeated assurances from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and security authorities that steps were being taken to curb the attacks and restore order, many foreign nationals continued to express concerns over their safety, prompting voluntary repatriation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through its spokesperson, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, said the successful completion of the five-phase evacuation exercise reflected the Federal Government’s commitment to protecting Nigerians living abroad.

The ministry also commended Nigerian diplomatic missions in South Africa, relevant government agencies and Air Peace for their roles in ensuring the safe return of the affected citizens.

Upon arrival in Lagos, the returnees are expected to be received by officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) and other government agencies for documentation, profiling and reintegration support.

The final flight marks the conclusion of Nigeria’s emergency response to the latest wave of xenophobic violence in South Africa, ending weeks of coordinated efforts to safely return citizens who chose to leave the country over growing security concerns.