By Gabriel Ameh
ABUJA – The Federal Government has evacuated 593 Nigerians from South Africa following renewed xenophobic attacks, with three additional rescue flights scheduled to bring home about 700 more citizens in the coming days.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced this in a statement on Thursday, signed by its spokesperson, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa.
According to the ministry, the first batch of 258 evacuees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on June 11 aboard a special Air Peace flight.
They 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 explained that logistical challenges delayed the second evacuation flight, forcing some stranded Nigerians to remain temporarily at the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria. During the period, a Nigerian volunteer sponsored the airfare of 66 citizens, who returned to Lagos on June 24 aboard South African Airways.
It added that another government-coordinated evacuation flight successfully returned 269 Nigerians on June 30, bringing the total number of evacuees to 593.
The Federal Government has evacuated 593 Nigerians from South Africa following xenophobic attacks and has scheduled three additional rescue flights to bring home about 700 more citizens.
The government disclosed that three more evacuation flights have been arranged to bring home all Nigerians who voluntarily registered and were successfully screened for the exercise.
The next batch of 271 returnees is expected to arrive at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport at about 5:30 a.m. on Friday, July 3.
The ministry also dismissed reports alleging that officials of the Nigerian Mission in South Africa demanded money from citizens before including them in the evacuation process.
It described the allegations as false and misleading, stressing that the evacuation exercise is fully funded by the Federal Government.
“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 support of relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies involved in the operation, noting that the evacuation reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to protecting Nigerians abroad and providing timely assistance to citizens affected by crises in foreign countries.
