First Group of Nigerians Returns Home After Anti-Immigration Protests in South Africa
The first batch of returnees will be escorted by Nigeria’s acting high commissioner as the government funds the evacuation at no cost to them.
- On Thursday, June 11, 2026, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye will receive 268 Nigerians evacuated from South Africa at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, arriving via Air Peace Airlines at 5 a.m.
- Xenophobic violence in Pretoria spurred the evacuation, with Minister of Foreign Affairs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu declaring Nigeria is "unhappy" with South Africa and alleging the government is "not doing enough" to address decades-long xenophobia.
- The Federal Government extended voluntary screening to Sunday, June 14, 2026, to accommodate more evacuees, while Acting High Commissioner of Nigeria in Pretoria Ambassador Alexander Ajayi will escort the first batch at no cost to returnees.
- Several nations including Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe issued security advisories regarding South Africa; Ghana previously evacuated 1,000 citizens from the country due to the crisis.
- Nigeria may consider retaliatory measures against South Africa as the Federal Government coordinates reception and documentation support for returning citizens through relevant agencies.
66 Articles
66 Articles
Xenophobia: 270 Nigerians return from South Africa
The Federal Government, through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has received 270 Nigerian returnees from South Africa under the ongoing voluntary return programme. The agency disclosed this in a statement signed by Mr Mohammed Olatunde, Head of Operations, NEMA Lagos Operations Office, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos. Olatunde said the returnees, who had registered for the programme an…
Associated Press News
First group of Nigerians returns home after anti-immigration protests in South Africa
The first group of Nigerians has returned home from South Africa following government-ordered repatriation due to violent anti-immigration protests.
Xenophobia: 268 Nigerian returnees arrive in Lagos from South Africa
The first batch of 268 Nigerian returnees from South Africa, following xenophobic attacks, has arrived in Lagos. More evacuation flights are expected. Read More: https://punchng.com/xenophobia-268-nigerian-returnees-arrive-in-lagos-from-south-africa/
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