The Federal Government has evacuated another batch of 105 Nigerians from South Africa over xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks on Nigerians and other African nationals.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed this in a statement on Saturday by its spokesperson, Oluwafemi Adeniyi.
According to the statement, the returnees, comprising 82 adults and 23 children, arrived in Lagos on Thursday night aboard South African Airways flight SA060 at about 8:30pm.
They were received at the airport by officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other agencies of government.
The ministry said the latest exercise is the 13th consular evacuation from South Africa since the operation commenced on June 10, 2026.
With the new batch, the total number of Nigerians evacuated from South Africa has risen to 1,821, out of which 1,388 were fully funded by the Federal Government.
It explained that 100 of the 105 returnees were evacuated with funds from the $265,854 donation by the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) for the purchase of one-way tickets for 500 distressed Nigerians.
The remaining five were evacuated through a donation by a private Nigerian citizen.
The ministry added that Nigeria’s diplomatic mission is still engaging with the leadership of RCCG in South Africa and other philanthropic groups and individuals to facilitate the return of more Nigerians.
It noted that some other distressed nationals are currently undergoing preliminary clearance at the Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg and with relevant South African authorities and would be evacuated as soon as the process is completed.
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