The Federal Government has evacuated 593 Nigerians from South Africa following ongoing xenophobic attacks, with three additional evacuation flights scheduled to bring home about 700 more citizens in the coming days.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday by its spokesperson, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa.
According to the ministry, the first batch of 258 evacuees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on June 11 aboard a special Air Peace flight. The returnees were received by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye, before being handed over to relevant government agencies for documentation and profiling.
The ministry said logistical challenges delayed the second evacuation flight, leading to the temporary accommodation of some Nigerians at the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria. It added that a Nigerian volunteer paid the airfare for 66 citizens, who returned to Lagos on June 24 aboard South African Airways.
A second government-arranged evacuation flight later brought 269 Nigerians back to the country on June 30, bringing the total number of evacuees to 593.
The ministry said three additional flights would be operated to evacuate all Nigerians who voluntarily registered and were screened for the exercise. It noted that the next batch, comprising 271 returnees, is expected to arrive at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport at 5:30 a.m. on Friday, July 3.
It also refuted allegations that officials of the Nigerian Mission demanded payment before enlisting citizens for evacuation, describing the claims as false and fake news.
“The special evacuation flights are fully funded by the Federal Government and are at no cost to the returnees,” the ministry stated.
The ministry commended the cooperation of relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies in the evacuation exercise, saying the operation underscores the Federal Government’s commitment to protecting Nigerians abroad and providing assistance to citizens affected by crises overseas.