The Federal Government has announced the evacuation of another 83 Nigerians from South Africa, with the returnees expected to arrive at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, tomorrow, August 19, 2026.
In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the returnees would travel on South African Airways, departing the Oliver Tambo Airport in Johannesburg at 3:35pm local time and arriving in Lagos at approximately 8:45pm the same day.
The ministry said the latest batch was facilitated through the intervention and sponsorship of flight tickets by public-spirited private individuals, whose support it acknowledged with gratitude.
The development comes after conclusion of the Federal Government’s voluntary repatriation programme, which saw nearly 1,490 Nigerians repatriated from South Africa amid rising Afrophobic attacks and anti-foreigner sentiments in the country.
According to the ministry, the Federal Government remains committed to safeguarding the welfare and dignity of Nigerians at home and abroad under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration. It said the government, through its Citizen Diplomacy agenda, considers Nigerians in the diaspora as critical assets for national development and remains committed to their protection and well-being.
The ministry also commended private individuals and philanthropists who had supported the latest evacuation, describing their intervention as an example of the “whole of society approach” and public-private collaboration. It called on the organised private sector, corporate organisations, state governments and other well-meaning Nigerians at home and abroad to emulate the initiative and support efforts to respond to consular emergencies.
According to the statement, the Ministry noted that the latest cohort of returnees had been made possible through the kind intervention and sponsorship of tickets by public-spirited private individuals, whose generosity the federal government acknowledged with profound gratitude.
The ministry said further that the government would continue to deepen strategic partnerships with host countries, including South Africa, to address the root causes of Afrophobia and prevent violence and discrimination against Nigerians. It added that such acts must be strongly condemned when they occur, with perpetrators held accountable.
S/Africa anti-immigration group issues fresh Sept 30 deadline
Meanwhile, South Africa’s anti-immigration group, March and March, has announced September 30 as a fresh deadline for undocumented foreigners to leave the country, as it staged a protest outside the Southern African Development Community summit in Durban yesterday.
The group marched through central Durban, calling on African leaders attending the 46th SADC Summit to take back their citizens living in South Africa without legal documentation. The group had previously led nationwide protests on June 30, demanding tougher action against undocumented foreigners, and warned that it would continue its campaign until the government addressed its immigration demands.
Announcing its latest action, BBC News Pidgin reported yesterday that the group described the move as a second wave of its earlier National Day of Action, calling on heads of state to prepare for what it described as the mass deportation of all illegal foreigners from South Africa by 30 September, describing the planned protest as the biggest yet, and urging South Africans to remain vigilant against undocumented foreigners in the country.
The 46th Ordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government is being held in Durban, bringing together leaders from the regional bloc’s 16 member states.
The protest came amid renewed debate over South Africa’s treatment of foreign nationals, with President Cyril Ramaphosa recently condemning discrimination and violence against people from other African countries. Ramaphosa expressed deep regret over the ill-treatment suffered by people from other countries, some of whom had been forced to leave due to threats of violence, stressing that the country could not preach integration at summits while practising exclusion on its streets.
The June 30 protests were accompanied by security operations and incidents involving attacks and looting in some areas, according to police reports cited in the original report.
March and March has continued to press the South African government to take tougher action against undocumented immigration, while several African countries have evacuated citizens amid tensions over the treatment of foreign nationals. The group’s latest protest puts the immigration dispute directly outside a summit attended by leaders of countries whose citizens are among those affected.
