The Federal Government has pledged to evacuate all Nigerians in South Africa who have expressed willingness to return home before June 30, following renewed anti-migrant attacks and rising insecurity targeting foreign nationals.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, made the announcement in a statement on Thursday, assuring that the Tinubu administration remains committed to protecting Nigerians abroad.
She said evacuation operations are already ongoing, with the first batch of 258 Nigerians arriving in Lagos on June 11 and received at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye.
According to her, nearly 1,000 Nigerians have registered for evacuation, while more than 742 citizens are still expected to be airlifted back in the coming days.
“The government will not abandon any Nigerian who wishes to return. Every citizen who has registered and indicated readiness to come home will be evacuated before the deadline,” she said.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said President Bola Tinubu had directed relevant agencies to ensure that Nigerians facing harassment, intimidation and insecurity in South Africa are assisted to return safely if they choose to do so.
She expressed concern over reports of repeated attacks and discrimination against Nigerians and other African migrants in South Africa, noting that many affected individuals have lived in the country for years, building families and businesses.
The minister highlighted that some Nigerians in South Africa are married to citizens and have children who consider South Africa their only home, making the situation particularly sensitive.
“When your citizens are being harassed, when they have spent years building their lives in another country, it becomes a serious concern for government,” she said.
She added that Nigeria is maintaining diplomatic engagements with South African authorities while exploring lawful measures to safeguard its citizens, stressing that any response will follow established international diplomatic procedures.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu also questioned what she described as unequal treatment of Nigerians compared to the presence of South African companies operating freely in Nigeria.
She noted that more than 120 South African firms operate across key sectors of the Nigerian economy, including telecommunications, banking, broadcasting and hospitality.
“We have MTN, MultiChoice, Stanbic, Protea and many other South African businesses operating freely in Nigeria… yet Nigerians in South Africa are facing a different reality,” she said.
The minister warned that the activities of anti-migrant vigilante groups were damaging South Africa’s international image and undermining its pan-African legacy.
She added that the situation has already disrupted conferences, business activities and cultural events, with South Africa increasingly being viewed as unsafe for foreign nationals.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu further disclosed that a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding signed in October 2025 to create an early warning mechanism for protecting citizens of both countries has yet to be activated, delaying coordinated response efforts.
She said South African authorities have argued that officials who signed the agreement lacked the authority to make it binding.
The evacuation effort comes as several African countries, including Ghana, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique, have also begun repatriating their citizens amid escalating concerns over xenophobic violence.
The Federal Government reiterated its commitment to ensuring the safety, dignity and voluntary return of Nigerians affected by the crisis while continuing diplomatic engagements aimed at long-term protection of its citizens abroad.
