•Xenophobic attack on businesses of foreigners in South Africa
The federal government will today resume the evacuation of Nigerians from South Africa, with 271 citizens expected to be airlifted home as concerns grow over threats issued by anti-immigration vigilante groups in the country.
According to the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, an Air Peace aircraft is scheduled to depart Nigeria at 3:00 p.m. today for Johannesburg to begin the evacuation exercise, reports The Guardian.
The aircraft is expected to leave South Africa at midnight and arrive in Nigeria tomorrow morning with the evacuees.
The latest evacuation follows heightened anxiety triggered by an ultimatum issued by anti-immigration vigilante groups demanding that undocumented foreign nationals, particularly Black African migrants, leave South Africa before June 30, 2026. The development has raised fears of possible xenophobic attacks, prompting several African governments to begin repatriating their citizens.
Although South African authorities have strongly denounced the threats, the government has intensified security measures by deploying police and military personnel to maintain law and order across the country.
Confirming the operation in a brief statement, Ebienfa said: “Nigeria will resume the evacuation of our nationals from South Africa today.”
The evacuation is part of the federal government’s efforts to ensure the safety of Nigerians who voluntarily opted to return home in the wake of the growing security concerns.
