The Feseral Government said Tuesday that the first group of Nigerians to be evacuated from South Africa in response to recent xenophobic attacks will depart from Oliver Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg Wednesday night and arrive at Lagos’s Murtala Muhammed International Airport at about 5:00 a.m. Thursday.
A statement by Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, spokesperson of the Foreign Affairs Ministry said Air Peace will operate the evacuation flight.
According to the statement, the federal government has funded the operation in full, and evacuees will be repatriated at no cost.
NewsQuest reports that reception and support systems have been mobilized by relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies as part of the process.
Government said, on arrival, returnees will undergo documentation and profiling and receive assistance before being reunited with family members.
Reports indicate that at least, 1,094 Nigerians have registered for voluntary return from South Africa, up from 130 previously.
Indications are that at least 2 Nigerian men died in the xenophobic violence; one was reportedly beaten to death by South African National Defence Force members.
The crisis stems from recent violent anti-immigration demonstrations in South Africa where thousands demanded stringent deportation policies, targeting African immigrants including Nigerians in Johannesburg and Durban.
South African police have pledged strict measures against xenophobic attackers and those inciting such acts.
Police in Nigeria have also warned Nigerians against reprisal attacks against South Africans in Nigeria, urging them not to take justice into their own hands.
