Federal Government has evacuated another 268 Nigerian nationals from South Africa as part of its ongoing effort to rescue citizens affected by renewed xenophobic attacks and anti-migrant violence in the country.
The latest batch of returnees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, on Thursday aboard a special Air Peace charter flight coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to the ministry, the evacuation followed a directive by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who ordered that the rescue operation should continue despite the expiration of the June 30 deadline earlier issued by South African anti-migrant groups and vigilantes.
The chartered aircraft departed O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg at 5:36 a.m. on Thursday and was expected to land in Lagos at about 10:40 a.m. The flight conveyed 268 returnees alongside two officers and crew members.
The latest evacuation comes after three earlier batches of Nigerians, totaling nearly 600 people, were successfully brought back to the country before the June 30 deadline.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said officials of relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) would receive the returnees on arrival to carry out documentation, profiling and other necessary procedures.
The ministry stressed that the evacuation exercise is still ongoing, noting that the Federal Government remains committed to ensuring the safe return of Nigerians who voluntarily registered for evacuation and were duly screened and cleared.
It stated: “The evacuations remain ongoing. The Federal Government is committed to bringing home safely, our Nationals who voluntarily registered to be evacuated and have been duly screened and cleared.”
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to the welfare of Nigerians abroad, the ministry added: “Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in adherence to that unbreakable bond between citizen and state, remains dedicated to this mandate. The protection of our citizens abroad remains our priority, a central pillar of the Renewed Hope Agenda.”
It further declared: “The dignity of our citizens abroad matters…and we remain committed to upholding it.”
The latest evacuation is part of the Federal Government’s continued response to the security concerns facing Nigerians in South Africa, where recurring xenophobic attacks have forced many foreign nationals to seek safe return to their home countries.