The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that four more repatriation flights are expected to return Nigerians who have expressed interest in leaving South Africa following recent xenophobic violence. The first batch of 258 Nigerians landed at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos on Thursday morning.
The ministry’s spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said the screening exercise for Nigerian citizens in South Africa began last Thursday and was scheduled to conclude on Saturday but has been extended to Sunday to allow more Nigerians to take advantage of the flights paid for by the government.
He added that the federal government paid for five flights in total, with this being the first, and subsequent flights will arrive from next week, with arrival days scheduled for Monday. The returnees will be temporarily housed in a facility hosted by the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons for documentation before being reunited with their families in various states.
Also Read: Thousands of Malawians flee xenophobic threats in South Africa
Over 1,000 Nigerians were said to have participated in the screening exercise, but the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, noted that the figures keep increasing. Ebienfa stated that Nigeria would continue diplomatic engagements with South Africa to ensure that relations improve between the two countries.
Leave feedback about this
You must be logged in to post a comment.