from EMEKA OKONKWO in Abuja, Nigeria
Nigeria Bureau
ABUJA, (CAJ News) – PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has ordered another series of evacuations of Nigerian nationals from South Africa, reiterating that there is an unceasing wave of xenophobic protests and anti-immigrant threats in that country.
A second evacuation is under way, operated by Air Peace Airlines, which was expected to land at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg late on Monday afternoon.
Last week, on the first flight, 66 Nigerians, mostly women and children in the most vulnerable conditions, arrived at Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos.
Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, confirmed that Tinubu had directed another series of evacuations from the restive Southern African country ahead of the 30 June “deadline” set by protesters for migrants to leave.
“The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has further directed that the evacuations will continue, even after the deadline has elapsed, to ensure that no Nigerian citizen who wants to come back to our home country is left behind.”
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said federal government agencies, including the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), would be on hand at Murtala Mohammed International Airport to carry out on-site documentation, health screenings and profiling of the returnees.
“The safety of our citizens abroad remains the core of the citizen diplomacy imperative of the Renewed Hope Agenda,” she said.
“We have an unbreakable commitment to protecting our citizens outside national borders, and upholding the sovereign bond between our nation and its nationals, especially those who are imperilled.”
Some anti-migrant groups in South Africa accuse Nigerians of selling illegal drugs.
However, a commission established by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2025 has heard how drug trafficking syndicates led by some politicians, police officers and so-called businessmen are the masterminds.
– CAJ News