Another batch of 271 Nigerians evacuated from South Africa arrived in Lagos on Tuesday under the Federal Government’s voluntary repatriation programme.
The Air Peace flight landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport shortly before 11 a.m., after leaving Johannesburg around 5 a.m. local time.
Officials from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Nigeria Immigration Service, and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) received the returnees.
The evacuation is part of the Federal Government’s efforts to support Nigerians who chose to return home amid increasing anti-immigration tensions in South Africa.
The repatriation comes ahead of a June 30 deadline reportedly announced by some vigilante groups and organisations demanding that undocumented migrants leave South Africa.
Earlier in June, President Bola Tinubu approved the voluntary evacuation programme for Nigerians willing to return home. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced that five Air Peace evacuation flights were approved after more than 500 Nigerians registered.
Before Tuesday’s flight, 328 Nigerians had already been evacuated in two batches — 262 on June 11 and 66 on June 25.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said the latest flight brought home 271 Nigerians who volunteered to return. He added that about 700 more could be evacuated depending on the situation in South Africa.
Meanwhile, security was increased across parts of South Africa as police monitored anti-immigration demonstrations in major cities.
In Johannesburg, several businesses remained closed while security personnel were deployed. The protests were organised by some political groups and citizen-led organisations calling for undocumented migrants to leave the country.
In Durban, protesters wearing traditional Zulu clothing gathered in a public park, chanting “Abahambe” (Let them go) as security officials watched the situation.
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