The Federal Government has successfully evacuated a total of 595 Nigerians from South Africa following renewed xenophobic tensions and anti-immigration protests in the country.
The latest batch of 271 returnees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Tuesday aboard an Air Peace flight. The airline confirmed the successful evacuation, while the returnees were received by officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM).
Before the latest evacuation, 258 Nigerians had returned in the first batch, while 66 others arrived in the second batch through a separately coordinated repatriation exercise, bringing the total number of Nigerians evacuated so far to 595.
The evacuation follows President Bola Tinubu's directive to facilitate the voluntary return of Nigerians willing to leave South Africa amid growing concerns over their safety.
Federal authorities have assured that arrangements remain in place to evacuate more Nigerians who wish to return, while diplomatic engagements with the South African government continue.