The Federal Government has announced that 271 more Nigerians affected by the recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa are expected to arrive in Lagos on Friday as the evacuation exercise continues.
The announcement was made in a statement issued on Thursday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through its spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa. The ministry said the latest batch of returnees would move the government closer to concluding the voluntary evacuation of Nigerians who registered to return home.
According to the statement, the third evacuation flight is scheduled to land at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos at about 5:30 a.m. on Friday, July 3, 2026, carrying 271 evacuees.
The ministry noted that 593 Nigerians have already been evacuated from South Africa in two previous operations.
It recalled that the first batch of 258 returnees arrived in Lagos on June 11 aboard a special Air Peace flight. They were received by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, on behalf of the Federal Government before being handed over to relevant ministries, departments and agencies for documentation and profiling.
The ministry also explained that logistical difficulties delayed the second evacuation flight, forcing some stranded Nigerians to remain temporarily at the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria, where they were accommodated and provided with necessary care by the mission.
