RismadarVoice Reporters, August 20, 2026
83 Nigerians have returned to the country from South Africa following a repatriation exercise supported by private individuals.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday night, noting that the returnees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on a South African Airways flight from Johannesburg.
The returnees were accompanied by two officials of the Consulate-General of Nigeria in Johannesburg.
The ministry said the cost of the returnees’ flight tickets was covered by private individuals who contributed to facilitating their safe journey back to Nigeria.
They were received at the airport by the Director of the African Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Haruna Ali-Gombe, on behalf of the Federal Government.
Following their arrival, the returnees were handed over to relevant government agencies for documentation and profiling before being reunited with their families.
The ministry reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to the welfare and safe return of Nigerians living abroad.
It also commended the Nigerian Mission in South Africa, the private sponsors and other agencies involved in the repatriation, reception and reintegration of the returnees.
