By Sunday Ameh
The Federal Government has announced that the final evacuation flight conveying stranded Nigerians from South Africa will arrive at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Wednesday, marking the conclusion of its repatriation exercise following the recent xenophobic attacks in the country.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday through its spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa.
According to the ministry, the Air Peace flight is scheduled to depart Johannesburg at 1:30 a.m. with 315 Nigerians on board and is expected to land in Lagos at about 6:30 a.m.
The ministry said the flight would be the fifth evacuation flight and the seventh batch of Nigerians repatriated since the Federal Government commenced the exercise in response to renewed xenophobic violence in South Africa.
It noted that more than 1,000 Nigerians had indicated interest in returning home, adding that the fourth evacuation flight, which arrived on July 9 with 282 returnees, brought the number of evacuees to 1,141 before the final batch.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, had earlier urged Nigerians still in South Africa to take advantage of the evacuation programme, assuring that no citizen willing to return would be left behind.
Her appeal came amid reports that two additional Nigerians were killed during the latest wave of anti-migrant attacks, raising the official death toll of Nigerians in the country to four, although some returnees claimed the actual figure could be higher.
The Federal Government reiterated its commitment to the safety and welfare of Nigerians abroad, assuring that every citizen who registered for the evacuation exercise would be successfully brought back home.
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