By: Sahara Report
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the Group of Nigerian Professionals Johannesburg (GNPJ), led by Mr C. Darl Uzu, purchased tickets for the stranded Nigerians to enable them to return to Nigeria.
A group of Nigerian professionals in Johannesburg has assisted in the repatriation of 12 Nigerians who were stranded and unable to join the last Federal Government-sponsored evacuation flight from South Africa.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, disclosed this in a post on X on Friday, saying the Nigerians returned home following xenophobic incidents in South Africa.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the Group of Nigerian Professionals Johannesburg (GNPJ), led by Mr C. Darl Uzu, purchased tickets for the stranded Nigerians to enable them to return to Nigeria.
“The joy of coming home,” the minister wrote, while expressing appreciation to the group for its intervention.
“Many thanks to Mr C Darl Uzu and the Group of Nigerian Professionals Johannesburg (GNPJ) for assisting with the repatriation of stranded and destitute nationals in South Africa who were unable to join the last FG sponsored evacuation flight out of South Africa,” she said.
According to the minister, the group purchased tickets for 12 Nigerians who were “stranded and desperate to return home to Nigeria following the Xenophobic incidents in South Africa.”
The group comprised 10 adults and two children from Ogun, Anambra, Ondo, Imo, Edo and Oyo states.
The returnees arrived at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, at 8:30pm on September 9, 2026, according to the minister.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu commended individuals, groups, associations and religious organisations that have supported Nigerians affected by the situation in South Africa.
The Federal Government of Nigeria commends the sterling efforts of ordinary citizens, groups, associations and religious bodies who have come to the aid of fellow Nigerians who are imperiled, during this challenging period in South Africa,” she said.
“Every little bit helps. This is what it means to be our brothers’ (and sisters’) keepers.”
The minister also appealed to state governments that had yet to support their indigenes affected by the situation to do so.
“We are still calling on State Governments who haven’t yet done so to assist their indigenes,” she said.
She added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, working with Nigeria’s embassy in Pretoria and consulate in Johannesburg, remained committed to assisting Nigerians still stranded in South Africa.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in conjunction with our Embassy in Pretoria and our Consulate in Johannesburg, remains firmly committed to supporting and coordinating the safe, orderly and dignified repatriation of the remaining stranded and destitute Nigerians in South Africa,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu said.
