271 Nigerians to be Evacuated from South Africa on July 3

The Federal Government of Nigeria announced that 271 Nigerians affected by recent xenophobic protests in South Africa will arrive in Lagos on July 3, 2026, as part of an ongoing evacuation exercise. The announcement was made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through its spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa.

This latest batch will bring the total number of Nigerians evacuated from South Africa to 593. The third evacuation flight is expected to land at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos at 5:30 PM.

The first batch of 258 evacuees arrived on June 11, 2026, aboard a special air peace flight. The second flight brought 269 Nigerians back on June 30, 2026.

The Ministry clarified that the evacuation flights are fully funded by the Federal Government, dismissing claims that Nigerian mission staff requested money for enlistment on evacuation flights as false. The Ministry expressed appreciation for the cooperation of relevant agencies involved in the evacuation process.