Final Batch Of Nigerians Evacuated From South Africa Arrives Lagos

The final batch of Nigerians evacuated from South Africa following rising xenophobic tensions has arrived in Lagos.

Naija News gathered that the returnees were conveyed aboard an Air Peace aircraft, which landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport at about 11.28 am.

The flight marked the conclusion of the Federal Government’s evacuation programme for Nigerians who indicated interest in returning home following xenophobic attacks and security concerns in parts of South Africa.

The Federal Government had earlier conducted several evacuation flights to bring affected Nigerians back to the country.

The initiative followed growing concerns over the safety of Nigerians living in South Africa amid reports of xenophobia-related incidents.

Air Peace played a major role in the exercise by operating multiple flights between South Africa and Lagos. The latest arrival formally brought the evacuation operation to an end.

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission had earlier announced the arrival of another group of 40 returnees aboard a chartered flight.

The commission’s Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, said that the arrival brought the number of returnees at the time to 1,174.

According to NiDCOM, four Air Peace flights had separately conveyed 258, 266, 262 and 282 Nigerians.

A ValueJet aircraft also returned 66 Nigerians to the country.