Nigeria evacuates 852 citizens from South Africa amid xenophobic attacks
The Nigerian federal government has airlifted a total of 852 Nigerians from South Africa following a wave of xenophobic attacks. The repatriation has been carried out in four operations: the first batch of 258 arrived on June 11, a second of 66 on June 24, a third of 271 on June 30, and the latest batch of 266 landed at Lagos’s Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Friday.
The evacuation is funded by the federal government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive. State governments and private firms have provided additional support: Imo State granted ₦1 million to each of its returnees, MTN Nigeria supplied free SIM packs worth ₦50,000 and pledged an extra ₦100,000 per person, and other states and organisations offered cash and empowerment packages. Officials from NIDCOM, NEMA, the Federal Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, and the Nigeria Immigration Service assisted with profiling, documentation and onward transport.
Acting High Commissioner to South Africa Temitope Ajayi said about 500 Nigerians remain awaiting evacuation, adding, “We have about 500 remaining, which we shall repatriate next week.” Returnees described the hardships that prompted their departure, including lack of legal documentation and hostility from locals.
The operation highlights Nigeria’s diplomatic engagement with South Africa to protect its diaspora amid rising anti‑immigrant sentiment.