Nigeria Delays South Africa Evacuation Flights

By Babatunji Wusu| The Federal Government has postponed the airlifting of the first group of Nigerians seeking to return home from South Africa following the recent wave of xenophobic attacks targeting Black foreign nationals in the country.

The development was confirmed on Monday by Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who explained that the evacuation exercise had been rescheduled due to logistical challenges.

According to Ebienfa, the first evacuation flight was initially scheduled to depart on Monday but will now take place on Wednesday after the completion of necessary arrangements.

The government had earlier approved a series of evacuation operations to assist Nigerians who no longer feel safe in South Africa amid rising anti-immigrant tensions. President Bola Tinubu authorised five evacuation flights, which will be operated by Air Peace as part of the repatriation programme.

Ebienfa disclosed that the first aircraft is expected to transport approximately 270 passengers from Johannesburg once all required permits and operational clearances have been secured.

He also revealed that authorities have extended the screening process for Nigerians who registered for the South Africa evacuation programme. The screening exercise, which is being coordinated through Nigeria’s mission in Pretoria, will now continue until Wednesday.

“I received confirmation from our mission in Pretoria that the screening exercise of Nigerian nationals, who have indicated interest to be evacuated back home, has been extended to Wednesday.

”So far, more than 500 persons have been screened and cleared,” Ebienfa said.

The South Africa evacuation initiative forms part of the Federal Government’s response to concerns over the safety of Nigerian citizens affected by the latest outbreak of xenophobic violence.

Officials say the screening process is necessary to verify and clear applicants before they are included in the evacuation flights. More Nigerians are expected to be processed as the programme continues ahead of the revised departure date.