271 EVACUATED NIGERIANS RETURN FROM SOUTH AFRICA AS FG CONTINUES REPATRIATION PROGRAMME
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
Another batch of Nigerians evacuated from South Africa arrived in Lagos on Tuesday as the Federal Government intensified its voluntary repatriation programme for citizens seeking to return home amid growing anti-immigration tensions in the Southern African nation.
The Air Peace flight, carrying about 271 returnees, landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, shortly before 11 a.m., after departing Johannesburg at about 5 a.m. local time.
Officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) were on hand to receive the returnees and facilitate their arrival.
The latest evacuation is part of the Federal Government’s efforts to assist Nigerians who have voluntarily chosen to leave South Africa following heightened anti-immigration sentiments and increasing pressure on undocumented migrants.
The repatriation exercise comes against the backdrop of a June 30 deadline issued by vigilante groups and other organisations demanding the departure of undocumented foreign nationals from South Africa.
President Bola Tinubu approved the voluntary evacuation programme earlier this month to ensure that Nigerians willing to return home could do so safely.
Earlier, the Federal Government announced the approval of five Air Peace evacuation flights after screening more than 500 Nigerians who registered for voluntary repatriation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the arrangement was aimed at ensuring that all Nigerians who indicated interest in returning home would be evacuated safely.
Before Tuesday’s operation, 328 Nigerians had already been repatriated in two batches. The first flight, which arrived on June 11, brought back 262 returnees, while a second batch of 66 Nigerians landed in Lagos on June 25.
The ongoing evacuation exercise is being coordinated by the Federal Government in collaboration with Air Peace and relevant agencies.
Meanwhile, tension remained high in parts of South Africa on Tuesday as businesses in downtown Johannesburg remained largely closed and security personnel were deployed across the city to maintain order.
The protests, organised by a coalition of minor political parties and citizen-led vigilante groups, have intensified calls for undocumented migrants to leave the country.
In the southeastern city of Durban, small groups of demonstrators dressed in traditional Zulu attire gathered in a public park, chanting “Abahambe,” meaning “Let them go,” while security operatives monitored the situation to prevent any breakdown of law and order.
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