700 More Nigerians to Return from South Africa as Xenophobic Violence Forces Mass Evacuation

Nigeria is intensifying efforts to rescue its citizens caught in the aftermath of renewed xenophobic attacks in South Africa. Over 700 Nigerians are slated for evacuation in the coming days, bringing the total number of repatriated citizens under the current emergency operation to nearly 1,300. This marks one of Nigeria's largest government-led rescue missions from South Africa in recent years.

Three additional special evacuation flights have been scheduled, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The first of these flights is expected to arrive at Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Friday with 271 returnees. This follows the successful evacuation of 593 Nigerians in three earlier batches. The first batch of 258 returnees arrived on June 11, and a subsequent flight on June 30 brought 269 more, totaling 593 repatriated so far.

“

For the avoidance of doubt, all the special evacuation flights are fully paid for by the Federal Government and at no cost to the returnees.

The ministry assured that all Nigerians who voluntarily registered and completed screening procedures will be brought home safely. It also strongly dismissed allegations circulating on social media that Nigerian Mission officials demanded money from citizens for inclusion on evacuation lists. "For the avoidance of doubt, all the special evacuation flights are fully paid for by the Federal Government and at no cost to the returnees," the ministry stated, labeling such claims as "totally false, fake news and should be discarded."

The latest evacuation underscores the recurring outbreaks of xenophobic violence in South Africa, where foreign nationals, including thousands of Nigerians, have repeatedly been targeted. These attacks are often linked to issues such as unemployment, crime, and economic hardship.

“

totally false, fake news and should be discarded.