FG completes South Africa evacuation as final 315 Nigerians return Wednesday
The Federal Government has concluded its evacuation exercise for Nigerians affected by recent xenophobic attacks and security concerns in South Africa, with the final batch of 315 returnees expected to arrive in the country on Wednesday.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the last evacuation flight, operated by Air Peace, is scheduled to depart Johannesburg in the early hours of Wednesday and land at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos at about 6:30 a.m.
The exercise was launched to assist Nigerians who expressed a willingness to return home following the wave of xenophobic attacks and rising security challenges in parts of South Africa.
The ministry disclosed that four previous evacuation flights had already brought back 1,141 Nigerians since the operation began on June 11, 2026.
In addition to the government-coordinated flights, 66 Nigerians were evacuated through the support of a private individual, while another 39 returned on separate Air Peace arrangements.
With the arrival of the final group, the government says the evacuation exercise will have successfully provided safe passage for hundreds of Nigerians seeking to return home.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed the Federal Government's commitment to safeguarding the welfare and security of Nigerians wherever they reside, while expressing appreciation to Air Peace and all stakeholders whose support ensured the successful completion of the evacuation mission.
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