Nigeria has joined other African countries in evacuating its citizens from South Africa following renewed concerns over xenophobic violence and rising anti-migrant sentiment.
A total of 262 Nigerians arrived in Lagos around 10:25 a.m. on Thursday after departing Johannesburg earlier in the day.
The evacuees are part of about 1,000 Nigerians registered with the Nigerian consulate in South Africa for voluntary repatriation.
Ghana, Zimbabwe and Malawi have also carried out similar evacuations ahead of a 30 June deadline set by some activist groups for undocumented migrants to leave the country.
Many migrants moved to South Africa after the end of apartheid in 1994 in search of better economic opportunities. However, with unemployment in South Africa exceeding 30 per cent, tensions have grown, fuelling protests and sporadic attacks targeting foreign nationals.
At Johannesburg’s main international airport, one of the returnees, Justin, said he had lived in South Africa since 1998 but decided to leave due to insecurity and hostility.
“I’m leaving because of the conditions they’ve given us here. They say we must leave on or before 30th June. And because of the way they are killing people, killing our brothers, so I’m not safe,” he said.
He alleged he had previously been attacked. “Recently they attacked me in a taxi. I ran away and left my things. I left my phone and everything,” he said. “They call us names and say you must leave this country. When we tried to beg them, they started insulting us.”
Another returnee, hairdresser and mother of three, Chinwe Osuala, said she had also experienced violence during earlier xenophobic attacks.
“I was personally attacked in my business premises. But after everything I called the police. Police helped me,” she recounted.
She said the experience left her deeply concerned about her children’s safety.
According to her, “You can’t even walk around freely. You’ll be scared, the children are scared that’s the main reason I came back, because of the children.”
Despite her ordeal, she said she would miss some of the relationships she built in South Africa.
“Most of them, they were crying because I was leaving. When you talk about South Africans not all of them are xenophobic there are people who love you deeply, genuinely,” she said.
Head of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said returnees would be transported by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to their respective states across Nigeria. She added that each returnee received over ₦100,000 and mobile phone credit as part of reintegration support.
There have been no official figures on fatalities linked to recent xenophobic incidents in South Africa. However, police confirmed that two Mozambican nationals were killed in Western Cape earlier this month, though the motive remains unclear.
Mozambican authorities, however, have said the death toll may be higher and linked the killings to xenophobia.
Nigeria’s Consul General in South Africa, Ninikanwa Okey-Uche, said migrants were being unfairly blamed for broader systemic failures.
“They are not and cannot be the problem. So, migrants are basically being scapegoated,” she said.
She also noted that migrants make up less than 10 per cent of South Africa’s population.
A spokesperson for South Africa’s Border Management Agency told local media that some of the evacuees did not possess valid residence documents, though the consulate argued that administrative delays often contribute to irregular status among migrants.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has since announced stricter measures to address illegal migration, including tougher penalties for employers hiring undocumented workers, the establishment of specialised courts for deportation cases, and a biometric database to curb identity fraud. He also warned against vigilante actions targeting suspected undocumented migrants.
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