A fresh batch of 282 Nigerians evacuated from South Africa has arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, increasing the total number of returnees under the Federal Government’s evacuation programme to 1,141.
The evacuees arrived on Thursday night aboard an Air Peace flight, according to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through its spokesperson, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa.
“The fourth evacuation flight from South Africa operated by Air Peace arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos today with 282 returnees,” the statement said.
Ebienfa disclosed that the fifth and final evacuation flight is scheduled to arrive in Nigeria next week.
The Federal Government began the voluntary evacuation exercise in June after renewed anti-immigration protests and attacks against foreign nationals in parts of South Africa.
The programme, coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and fully funded by the Federal Government, has seen more than 1,000 Nigerians register to return home.
Speaking earlier, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu urged affected Nigerians to put their safety first.
“The price of your peace, and the safety of your children is not worth any sacrifices you have to make, or any assets you have to leave behind when fleeing a conflict zone or hate-infested environment,” she said.
The House of Representatives has also condemned the attacks, describing them as unacceptable, and urged the Federal Government to take stronger diplomatic action if Nigerians continue to be targeted.
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