Nigeria completes large-scale repatriation of citizens from South Africa

Air Peace concluded a Federal Government‑led humanitarian evacuation from South Africa, bringing the final batch of 308 Nigerians to Lagos on a Boeing 777‑200. The airline said the operation moved a total of 1,393 Nigerians across five dedicated flights.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) confirmed that 1,516 vulnerable Nigerians were voluntarily repatriated between 11 June and 15 July. The returnees arrived in seven batches at Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Air Peace and South African Airways flights. The effort involved multiple agencies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission and the Immigration Service. Both operations were described as coordinated humanitarian responses to the security situation affecting Nigerians in South Africa, with authorities pledging continued support for the returnees.