Nigeria to start free evacuation of citizens from South Africa

Over 1,000 Nigerians in South Africa have been cleared for evacuation and won’t need to pay for their return flights home, officials have announced.

This follows recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa that targeted many Africans, including Nigerians.

Reports say the Nigerian government had earlier mentioned that at least 300 Nigerians wanted to return home from South Africa. Initially, the government said the returnees would cover their own flight costs.

But on Saturday, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry said the returnees would now fly free of charge. Kimiebi Ebienfa, who works with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) by phone that the ministry would arrange flights to bring them back.

He explained that the screening for Nigerians in South Africa who signed up for evacuation would close on Saturday. "The process, which started on June 4, is a joint effort involving the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria, the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation, as well as the South African Police and immigration authorities," NAN quoted Mr Ebienfa.

"At the end of the screening, we will have a definite number of people cleared for evacuation. After that, we will finalize plans for the deployment of aircraft to bring them home," he added.

In another interview with NAN, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), said that over 1,000 Nigerians in South Africa have completed screening for voluntary repatriation. Mrs Dabiri-Erewa stated that the screening was done together with the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria and South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs.

According to her, Saturday marked the third day of the exercise for Nigerians who wish to return home voluntarily from South Africa. "The turnout at the High Commission of Nigeria in Pretoria has been truly impressive. The screening started early on Saturday, and Nigerians came out in large numbers to participate in the process.

“In spite of the emotional atmosphere surrounding the prevailing tensions and uncertainty, the exercise has been smooth, peaceful, organized, and highly professional under the supervision of Nigeria’s Acting High Commissioner, Amb. Olatunde Ajayi. More than 1,000 Nigerians have registered for the voluntary evacuation, and many more are signing up," she said.

Mrs Dabiri-Erewa revealed that President Bola Tinubu has approved funding for the evacuation flights. "All things being equal, the flights are expected to start next week through Air Peace, as President Bola Tinubu has approved funds for that purpose," she stated.

She also mentioned that five flights are expected to be sent for the repatriation, with the first batch of evacuees set to leave for Nigeria next week.

Reports also indicate that Nigeria is not the only African country bringing its citizens back from South Africa. Ghana has already evacuated over 300 Ghanaians since the latest wave of xenophobic attacks began over a month ago.