Nigeria evacuates 593 citizens from South Africa amid xenophobic attacks
The Federal Government has evacuated 593 Nigerians from South Africa and plans to bring home 700 more after anti-immigrant violence.
The Federal Government has evacuated 593 Nigerians from South Africa following a wave of anti-immigrant protests and attacks targeting foreign nationals. Three additional flights are scheduled to bring home another 700 citizens who have registered for repatriation, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The evacuation began on 11 June with 258 returnees aboard an Air Peace flight. A second government-operated flight arrived on 30 June with 269 returnees. A Nigerian philanthropist also facilitated the return of 66 citizens on 24 June, paying for their tickets on a South African Airways flight. The third official government flight, carrying 271 returnees, arrived in Lagos on Friday, 3 July.
President Bola Tinubu has directed that evacuation operations continue beyond the 30 June deadline set by anti-migrant groups in South Africa. Foreign Affairs Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu confirmed the directive, stating that the Federal Government remains committed to bringing home all Nigerians who voluntarily registered for evacuation. The latest flight was a government-funded charter operated by Air Peace, departing from Johannesburg and arriving in Lagos with 266 Nigerian returnees.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dismissed allegations that officials demanded payment from citizens before including them on evacuation lists. Spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa stated that all special evacuation flights are fully funded by the Federal Government at no cost to returnees, describing the allegations as “totally false, fake news”.
The federal government is also documenting businesses and property abandoned by fleeing citizens to seek compensation from South African authorities. Acting High Commissioner Alexander Ajayi said the mission is compiling records of businesses and movable and immovable properties left behind as part of efforts to pursue compensation claims.
This is not the first mass evacuation of Nigerians from South Africa. The 2019 xenophobic attacks triggered a similar repatriation exercise and a diplomatic row between Abuja and Pretoria. The current violence mirrors that pattern: protesters blame undocumented migrants for unemployment and crime, isolated incidents of looting and violence occur, foreign nationals flee, and governments respond with statements and evacuations. The cycle repeats because the underlying economic grievances remain unresolved.
From a Nigerian vantage point, the evacuation is both a humanitarian operation and a diplomatic challenge. Over 1,000 Nigerians registered to return, and about 25,000 nationals of other African countries have reportedly left South Africa. While Nigeria continues to host South African companies like MTN and MultiChoice without restriction, the persistence of violence raises questions about how much longer that economic reciprocity can hold.
The winners: Nigerians who have been safely repatriated. The losers: the nearly 600 returnees who have abandoned businesses and homes, the thousands still waiting to leave, and the bilateral relationship between Africa’s two largest economies, which takes another hit.
Bottom Line: Nearly 600 Nigerians have been evacuated from South Africa. Hundreds more are waiting. The cycle of violence continues.