Nigeria Evacuates 66 Citizens from South Africa Amid Attacks

The Federal Government of Nigeria has successfully evacuated 66 Nigerians from South Africa amid rising xenophobic attacks targeting foreign nationals, particularly African migrants. This evacuation, which took place on Thursday night at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, marks the second batch of repatriations as part of an ongoing exercise approved by President Bola Tinubu.

The first batch of 258 Nigerians returned to Nigeria on June 11 via a chartered flight by ValueJet. Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed the successful return of the evacuees.

The Nigerian Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) is actively coordinating the evacuation process, ensuring that all registered Nigerians wishing to return are accommodated. Dipo Onabowale, head of NIDCOM's Lagos office, commended the government's swift response.

Additionally, evacuees from Imo State received financial support of N1 million from Governor Hope Uzodimma, and MTN Nigeria provided free SIM cards and data worth N50,000.