The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs says four more repatriation flights are expected to return Nigerians who have expressed interest in leaving South Africa following recent xenophobic violence.
Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson for the ministry, announced the plan after the first batch of 258 Nigerians landed at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos on Thursday morning.
Over 1,000 Nigerians were said to have partaken in the screening exercise. However, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, minister of foreign affairs, said “the figures keep increasing”.
The screening exercise for Nigerian citizens in South Africa began last Thursday and scheduled to conclude on Saturday.
However, Ebienfa told journalists that the exercise has been extended to Sunday “just to give more Nigerians the opportunity to be screened so that they will take advantage of this flight that Mr. President has graciously paid for to convey them back home”.
The ministry’s spokesperson added that the federal government paid for five flights in total.
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“This is the first one, so subsequent flights will be arriving from next week,” he said, noting that the arrival day will be Monday.
He added that the returnees would be temporarily housed in a facility hosted by the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) for documentation before being reunited with their families in various states.
Ebienfa said Nigeria would continue diplomatic engagements with South Africa to ensure that relations improve.
