Xenophobia: FG To Repatriate Over 1,000 Nigerians From South Africa

The Federal Government is preparing to repatriate more than 1,000 Nigerians from South Africa as anti-immigrant tensions continue to rise in the country, with screening for the voluntary repatriation exercise beginning on Thursday.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Kimiebi Ebienfa confirmed the development to AFP on Friday, saying the final figure was still being compiled. “Total figure not out yet. We are expecting over 1,000 persons,” he said.

In a communiqué dated Tuesday, Nigeria’s High Commission in Pretoria said it had negotiated waivers with South African authorities to allow Nigerians with immigration-related offences to board repatriation flights rather than face detention.

The commission said the arrangement is intended to ensure the smooth and safe return of affected Nigerians.

The move follows a similar exercise by Ghana, which recently flew home hundreds of its citizens following xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bianca Ojukwu had earlier met her South African counterpart Ronald Lamola to discuss the safety of Nigerians in the country.

South Africa has experienced repeated waves of xenophobic violence since 2008, with the latest surge coming ahead of local government elections scheduled for November.

A citizen-led group has issued a June 30 deadline for the expulsion of all undocumented migrants, raising fears of fresh attacks.

The South African government has urged citizens not to take matters into their own hands while saying it is stepping up enforcement against undocumented immigrants.

More than three million foreign nationals currently live in South Africa, representing 5.1 per cent of the population, with over 63 per cent coming from countries within the Southern African Development Community bloc.