MARGARETH CHIDERA
LAGOS, Nigeria – Amid escalating xenophobic attacks in South Africa, a group of 258 Nigerians have safely returned home to escape the violence.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) received this first batch of returnees, who arrived under a voluntary repatriation program spearheaded by the Nigerian Federal Government to ensure the safety of its citizens abroad.
The evacuation marks a swift governmental response to the targeting of foreign nationals in South Africa, which has left many migrants fearing for their lives and livelihoods. As the situation remains tense, officials are coordinating additional phases of the voluntary repatriation scheme to help other stranded Nigerians return home securely.
The returnees arrived at the Cargo Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at approximately 10:35 a.m. aboard an Air Peace aircraft from O.R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye, welcomed the first batch.
A second group will be flown out on June 15.
There are around 1,000 in total who have said they want to leave South Africa, according to the ministry of foreign affairs.
The reception exercise was jointly coordinated by NEMA and relevant government agencies, including the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), to facilitate the smooth reception and processing of the returnees.
Upon arrival, the returnees, comprising men, women, and children, underwent profiling, documentation, and medical screening as part of measures to ensure their smooth reception and reintegration into society.
A press briefing was held during the exercise and attended by senior government officials, including the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, and the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa. Also present was the Director of Search and Rescue at NEMA, Air Commodore Usman Bature, alongside representatives of participating agencies.
As part of the humanitarian support provided, NEMA coordinated logistics arrangements for the transportation of the returnees to their respective states of origin, while security agencies ensured the safe movement of the buses conveying them from the airport.
The reception forms part of ongoing efforts by the Federal Government to facilitate the safe return, welfare, and reintegration of Nigerians facing difficulties abroad. Additional batches of returnees are expected in the coming days as the evacuation exercise continues.
