•Returnees
Scores of Nigerians who returned from South Africa yesterday recounted experiences of intimidation, looting, harassment and fear for their lives.
The federal government received the first batch of 258 evacuees from a group of more than 1,100 Nigerians who registered to come home after recent xenophobic attacks, reports The Nation.
The returnees arrived aboard the first of five planned evacuation flights arranged by the federal government in partnership with Air Peace.
Women, children, youths and elderly passengers stepped off the aircraft shortly after 10:40 a.m. amid tears, prayers and expressions of relief at reaching Nigeria safely.
Under a reception canopy at the airport, officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, humanitarian agencies, immigration authorities and security personnel addressed the returnees while documentation, profiling and medical screening began.
Many of the returnees wore face mask.
One widow, who declined to give her name, described nearly two decades in South Africa as “a pure waste of my youthful years”.
She alleged that many Nigerians faced extortion, discrimination and an immigration-document renewal system riddled with abuse and corruption.
She said: “South Africans see other Africans as enemies. Nigerians seeking greener pastures should think twice before going there.”
Ajibola James Ogunleye, who said he had lived in South Africa for more than 15 years, also spoke bitterly about his experience.
He said: “I will not advise any Nigerian to travel to that country. The South Africans do not want to see other Africans prosper.
“There is no job for anybody thinking of making it there. I am happy to be back home alive; it feels like the years I spent there were wasted.”
Another returnee, Stanley Osawaru, who said he spent more than 16 years in South Africa, alleged that attacks on Nigerians and other African migrants had become increasingly frequent.
He said: “Anywhere you go, they attack you. They see Nigerians on the street and dispossess them of their valuables. They loot our shops and destroy our businesses for no just cause.”
Govt promises support, reintegration
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye, who received the returnees on behalf of the Federal Government, said the evacuation demonstrated President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to the welfare, safety and dignity of Nigerians abroad.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria will not stand idly by while our citizens are subjected to attacks and harassment wherever they may be in the world,” he said.
Enikanolaiye said Nigeria was engaging South African authorities “at the highest diplomatic levels” to seek protection for Nigerian nationals and address the factors behind the attacks.
He commended the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria for coordinating the evacuation and urged Nigerians still in South Africa to remain law-abiding, vigilant and in contact with the mission.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the operation was carried out with the Ministries of Humanitarian Affairs, Aviation and Health, the Nigeria Immigration Service and security agencies.
It added temporary accommodation, medical support and other services would be provided before the evacuees are reunited with their families, while additional flights are expected in the coming days.
Uzodimma, MTN donate airtime, cash
Director-General of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) Abike Dabiri-Erewa said the returnees had voluntarily chosen to leave South Africa because of the xenophobic attacks.
She added that they were undergoing SIM-card registration, immigration checks and other screening procedures.
According to Dabiri-Erewa, each returnee will receive N50,000 worth of airtime from MTN and N100,000 from the federal government, alongside offers from state governments and non-governmental organisations.
She said Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma promised N1 million for each Imo indigene among the evacuees and appealed to state governments to assist with reintegration.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction Dr. Bernard Doro said the evacuees’ return was the result of sustained intervention by multiple agencies.
He told the returnees that “the healing process had commenced” and promised further assistance after documentation and profiling were completed.
South Africa disputes “evacuation” narrative
The South African government, however, rejected the characterisation of the operation as an evacuation prompted by xenophobic violence.
In a statement yesterday, South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs said 586 Nigerian nationals had been processed for repatriation after being found to be residing in South Africa illegally.
The department said the first repatriation flight arrived in Nigeria on June 11 with 268 passengers and that all those processed had been issued Emergency Travel Documents by the Nigerian High Commission to facilitate their departure.
Spokesperson and Deputy Director-General for Operations Thulani Mavuso said the affected individuals had been declared “undesirable persons” under South Africa’s Immigration Act and were barred from re-entering the country for five years.
A second flight carrying the remaining persons from the group of 586 was scheduled for June 15.
The department thanked the Nigerian High Commission for cooperating in the documentation process and reminded foreign nationals to maintain valid visas and lawful immigration status.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said the government was “irrevocably committed” to enforcing immigration laws through what he described as “orderly and lawful deportations and repatriations,” which he said had increased by 46 per cent over the past two years.
He urged the public not to engage in violence or take the law into their own hands.
