FG: 1,490 Nigerians evacuated from South Africa in seven repatriation batches
The Nigerian government has successfully repatriated 1,490 citizens from South Africa following a surge in xenophobic violence. The operation involved multiple agencies and diplomatic efforts to ensure the safety of returnees.
Why it matters
This highlights the ongoing challenges of xenophobia in South Africa and the diplomatic responsibilities of the Nigerian government toward its diaspora.
The federal government says it has repatriated 1,490 Nigerians from South Africa following an uptick in xenophobic violence in the country.
The repatriation exercise began on June 11 and ended on Wednesday.
Although the federal government paid for five flights, two additional batches returned to Nigeria on emergency arrangements, bringing the total batches of repatriation batches to seven.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson for the federal ministry of foreign affairs, provided a breakdown of the evacuation programme.
Ebienfa said the foreign affairs ministry worked closely with the Nigerian high commission in Pretoria, the consulate-general of Nigeria in Johannesburg, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), port health services and other relevant agencies to ensure coordinate the exercise, from registration to departure and reception of returnees in Nigeria.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in