RismadarVoice Reporters, June 25, 2026
The Federal Government of Nigeria has evacuated a second batch of 66 Nigerians from South Africa, as part of efforts to bring home citizens affected by ongoing xenophobic attacks in the country.
The evacuees arrived at the Lagos international airport on Wednesday night, continuing an evacuation exercise approved by President Bola Tinubu in response to the recent wave of xenophobic violence targeting foreigners, including Nigerians, in South Africa.
This latest group follows an initial batch of 258 Nigerians who returned home on June 11 aboard a chartered Air Peace flight.
Dipo Onabowale, head of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) in Lagos, said the second evacuation was arranged with the support of Kunle Soname, chairman and chief executive officer of ValueJet. He added that officials from the Nigerian High Commission in South Africa accompanied the returnees on their journey home.
Speaking on behalf of NiDCOM chairman Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Onabowale praised President Tinubu for approving the evacuation exercise.
“There are 66 people in the second batch. Logistical challenges encountered during the first evacuation exercise are being addressed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” Onabowale said.
He further disclosed that Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has given assurances that all Nigerians registered in South Africa would eventually be evacuated as the exercise continues.
