Another batch of 65 Nigerians is expected to return home from South Africa today, sponsored by private individuals.
The repatriation comes amid continuing concerns over xenophobic attacks and the safety of foreign nationals in the country.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed this in a notification issued yesterday by its outgoing spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa.
According to the ministry, the returnees will depart Oliver Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, at 3:30 p.m. local time aboard a South African Airways flight.
They are expected to arrive at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, at 8:45 p.m. the same day.
The latest return comes after the federal government concluded a voluntary evacuation programme through which 1,490 Nigerians were repatriated from South Africa following a wave of xenophobic attacks and anti-immigrant tensions.
Unlike the earlier government-coordinated evacuation flights, the 65 Nigerians scheduled to return today are being sponsored by private individuals.
The development indicates that voluntary returns have continued even after the Federal Government announced the completion of its five-phase evacuation exercise in July.
The government had said the earlier operation followed sustained diplomatic engagement with the South African authorities over security concerns arising from attacks targeting foreign nationals, including Nigerians.
The evacuation programme began in June after anti-immigration protests and attacks heightened fears among foreign nationals in South Africa. Nigerians were among those who sought to leave the country amid the unrest.
Nigeria subsequently brought home 1,490 citizens in five phases, with the final government-arranged flight conveying 305 Nigerians from Johannesburg to Lagos in July.
The latest development also comes against the backdrop of renewed diplomatic concerns between Nigeria and South Africa over the treatment of Nigerians and other African migrants.
In July, Nigeria urged South Africa to take stronger measures to curb xenophobic attacks, saying repeated violence was putting pressure on relations between the two countries.
The federal government has maintained that criminality involving its citizens should be dealt with through the law and should not be used to justify attacks against Nigerians as a group.
The latest returnees are expected to join the growing number of Nigerians who have opted to leave South Africa amid fears over their safety and the atmosphere created by anti-immigrant sentiments.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not indicate whether the 65 Nigerians represented the final batch of citizens seeking to return, but confirmed that today’s flight would bring them back to Nigeria under private sponsorship.
