Don't Pay $1000 Return Tickets Air Peace Chairman Tells South African Returnees As Evacuation Begins Today

Domestic airline, Air Peace, says it is ready for the evacuation of Nigerians from South Africa from today

An official of the airline said on Tuesday that there had been no challenge with the planned evacuation.

“We do not have any challenge; we have no issues for now. Our mission is to get the passengers out for free,” the official who spoke on condition of anonymity said.

He explained that the flight from Nigeria departed Lagos on Tuesday and would return on Wednesday (today) from 2pm, adding that the entire process would end by Thursday.

The Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, warned Nigerians scheduled for repatriation from South Africa to refrain from paying $1,000 or any amount of money for their flight.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, Onyema said the arrangement for Nigerians willing to return had not changed, adding that it remained free.

He said, “We have not designated or recruited any agent in South Africa to collect money on behalf of Air Peace. So, nobody should pay money to anyone.

“Any Nigerian who has paid money for repatriation to Nigeria with Air Peace should request for a refund and report to appropriate authorities.”

The airline had last week volunteered to send an aircraft to evacuate Nigerians, free of charge, from South Africa.

Onyema said the evacuation, which would be done with the airline’s Boeing 777, was a support for the Federal Government’s efforts.


A group, under the aegis of Virtuous Widows International Association, on Tuesday said the xenophobic attacks in South Africa had increased the number of widows in Nigeria.

Addressing journalists in Awka, the Anambra State capital, the founder and National President of the group, Ifeyinwa Egbosiuba, described the act as barbaric.

She said, “For everyone man killed in the attack, a husband, father and ultimately the breadwinner is lost to a family, invariably leaving the woman a widow with attendant repercussions on the society.

“We’re aware that our government has taken actions through constructive engagements with the South African government as well as other African countries.

“But we appeal to the conscience of our brothers and sisters in South Africa to remember the history of racism and apartheid and that xenophobic attacks on fellow Africans who have helped them during those days are worse actions.”