By: Joshua Odeyemi
The Federal Government of Nigeria has facilitated the return of a new batch of 33 distressed Nigerian nationals from the Republic of South Africa following renewed incidents of Afrophobic attacks targeting Africans in the country.
The returnees, comprising 17 adults and 16 minors, arrived in Nigeria on South African Airways (SAA) Flight SA060, on Wednesday, 16 September 2026, at approximately 20:30 hours.
Oluwafemi Adeniyi, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement on Thursday that they were received on arrival by the officials of the Ministry, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and other relevant agencies of the Federal Government.
This latest arrival constitutes the 12th consular evacuation from South Africa since the commencement of the exercise on 10th June, 2026, bringing the total number of Nigerian nationals evacuated to 1716.
Of this number, the Federal Government fully funded the evacuation of 1388, representing approximately 81 per cent of the total number of Nigerians brought home under the exercise.
This evacuation was sponsored by the Private Nigerian Group of Business Friends (PNGBF) and Nigerian Lawyers Association in South Africa (NLASA).
The Federal Government remains deeply concerned about persistent Xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks against Nigerians and other Africans in South Africa.
