Another batch of Nigerians evacuated from South Africa arrived in Lagos on Tuesday as part of the Federal Government’s ongoing voluntary repatriation programme.
The Air Peace flight, carrying about 271 Nigerians, landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport shortly before 11 a.m. after departing Johannesburg at about 5 a.m. local time.
Officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) were on hand to receive the returnees.
The latest evacuation is part of the Federal Government’s ongoing efforts to assist Nigerians who have voluntarily chosen to return home amid rising anti-immigration tensions in South Africa.
The exercise comes against the backdrop of a June 30 deadline declared by vigilante groups and other organisations demanding the departure of undocumented migrants from the country.
President Tinubu approved the voluntary evacuation programme earlier this month to enable Nigerians willing to leave South Africa to return home safely.
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Earlier in June, the Federal Government disclosed that five Air Peace evacuation flights had been approved after more than 500 Nigerians were screened for repatriation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the flights were intended to ensure that all registered Nigerians who wished to return would be evacuated safely.
Before the latest operation, 328 Nigerians had already been repatriated in two batches. The first flight, which landed on June 11, brought back 262 returnees, while a second batch of 66 arrived in Lagos on June 25.
The evacuation exercise is being coordinated by the Federal Government in partnership with Air Peace and other relevant agencies.
Meanwhile, most shops stayed shuttered, and the streets of downtown Johannesburg were unusually quiet, with police fanning out across the city as commuters made their way to work on Tuesday.
The protests have been mobilised by a loose coalition of minor political parties and small citizen-led vigilante groups, which seem well organised and well resourced, analysts say.
In the southeastern city of Durban, small groups of protesters in Zulu attire, carrying sticks and shields, gathered at a park, singing and chanting “abahambe”, which means “Let them go” as security forces kept watch.
