The Federal Government on Tuesday evacuated another 269 Nigerians from South Africa as efforts continued to bring home citizens seeking to leave the country amid heightened fears over xenophobic attacks.
The returnees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, aboard an Air Peace flight from Johannesburg at about 10:48 a.m.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the development in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, saying the latest batch was escorted by officials of the Nigerian Mission in South Africa.
According to the ministry, the 269 evacuees are in addition to the 66 Nigerians who returned on June 24 aboard a South African Airways flight facilitated by a Nigerian philanthropist.
Senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led by the Director of the African Affairs Department, Ambassador Haruna Ali-Gombe, received the returnees on behalf of the Federal Government at the Lagos airport.
Ali-Gombe conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s message to the returnees, assuring them of the government’s commitment to safeguarding the welfare and security of Nigerians living abroad.
The ministry said the evacuation exercise remained on course despite the June 30 deadline issued by anti-immigration groups for undocumented foreigners to leave South Africa.
It added that more evacuation flights would arrive in the coming days to airlift Nigerians who had already been screened and cleared for voluntary repatriation.
With the latest evacuation, a total of 593 Nigerians have returned from South Africa under the Federal Government’s evacuation programme, following the arrival of the first batch of 258 returnees on June 11 and another 66 on June 24.
The Federal Government also reaffirmed its commitment to sustained diplomatic engagement with South African authorities to ensure the safety and protection of Nigerians residing in the country.
Although more than 1,000 Nigerians had earlier indicated their willingness to return home, many are still awaiting evacuation as the repatriation exercise continues.
