The ministry said the latest evacuation marks the second flight under the ongoing voluntary repatriation exercise, bringing the total number of Nigerians evacuated from South Africa to 335.
The Nigerian government has received another group of 269 Nigerians evacuated from South Africa, as authorities intensify efforts to bring home citizens choosing to leave the country as South Africans stormed the country’s streets in protests following the June 30 deadline for undocumented foreign nationals.
The returnees arrived on an Air Peace flight that landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, where they were received by the Director of African Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Haruna Ali-Gombe.
The Nigerian government on Monday announced that at least 271 Nigerian nationals in South Africa would be repatriated on Tuesday, as it continues its voluntary repatriation programme for citizens seeking to return home following the persisting wave of anti-immigration tensions and xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ali-Gombe conveyed President Bola Tinubu's message to the returnees, assuring them that the Nigerian government remains committed to protecting Nigerians living abroad.
