FG’s Fourth S’Africa Repatriation Flight Lands in Lagos — Last Batch to Arrive Next Week

The federal government’s fourth evacuation flight from South Africa has arrived at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos.

The Air Peace flight arrived last night with 282 returnees. This brings the total number of Nigerians repatriated from South Africa since the evacuation flights began on June 11 to 1,141.

Over 1,000 Nigerians were said to have indicated interest to return.

Last week, ahead of Thursday’s flight arrival, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, minister of foreign affairs, asked Nigerians to take advantage of the ongoing exercise to return home.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s call came as two more Nigerians were reported dead in South Africa bringing the official death toll of Nigerian citizens in the country since the xenophobic violence started to four. Some repatriated Nigerians have alleged that the figures are higher.

South African rights groups had set an unofficial June 30 deadline for undocumented migrants to leave the country but repatriation flights have continued.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu assured that the federal government would ensure that no citizen who expressed interest to return home would be left behind.

Kimiebi Ebienfa, foreign ministry spokesperson, said the fifth flight will arrive Nigeria next week.

It would be the government’s final flight.