Nigerians protest delayed repatriation from South Africa

Nigerian citizens gathered at the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria on June 22 to protest the slow pace of their government’s evacuation programme. Demonstrators, many of whom have been waiting weeks, chanted “We wan go, we no go gree” and demanded that the Federal Government accelerate the return of the estimated 600 Nigerians still stranded in South Africa.

The first repatriation flight arrived in Lagos on June 11 with 268 passengers, but a second flight scheduled for June 15 was postponed without a new date. Community leader Smart Nwobu questioned, “Only one flight left. When is the second batch? The 15th has come and gone.” He warned that many registrants are now sleeping on the streets and have lost documents. The protest seeks to push the authorities to launch additional flights before the anti‑immigrant groups’ June 30 deadline for undocumented foreigners to leave the country, amid heightened xenophobic tensions.

The Nigerian government has announced plans for up to four more evacuation flights, but no clear timeline has been provided, leaving the stranded migrants in uncertain conditions.