Xenophobia: Nigeria Evacuates 1,695 Citizens From South Africa

Nigeria has evacuated 1,695 of its citizens from South Africa this year amid renewed threats against foreign nationals, the Acting High Commissioner to South Africa, Ambassador Ajayi Alexander, has said.

Alexander disclosed this on Friday during a visit by fellows of the MTN Media Innovation Programme in Pretoria, South Africa.

He said the figure comprises 1,490 Nigerians repatriated through government-sponsored arrangements and another 205 who returned with support from private individuals.

According to the envoy, the federal government funded five repatriation flights, each carrying at least 200 Nigerians, while the Nigerian mission also arranged two or three batches of one-way tickets for citizens who wanted to leave the country.

He explained that the evacuations were voluntary, noting that some Nigerians who registered to return eventually did not show up for the flights.

Alexander also revealed that some of those repatriated owned property in South Africa, while others were legal residents who became caught up in the situation after delays prevented them from renewing their residence permits.

The mission, he said, is preparing for another evacuation after the Redeemed Christian Church of God offered to sponsor the return of 500 Nigerians.

Alexander appealed to other religious organisations and private individuals to support efforts to fund further evacuations.

The development comes as anti-immigrant groups in South Africa have issued fresh threats against foreigners and given them a deadline to leave the country by the end of September.

“We are not taking that threat lightly,” Alexander said, adding that the mission’s priority was to ensure that Nigerians were not exposed to violence.

Despite the security concerns, the envoy said relations between Nigeria and South Africa remained strong at the highest level of government.

“There is a good relationship between the governments at the highest level,” he said.

The two countries have been working to ease tensions over attacks on Nigerians and other African nationals in South Africa.

In July, South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, led a delegation to Abuja after President Bola Tinubu directed talks with Nigerian officials over the issue.

Nigeria has described attacks on its citizens in South Africa as a recurring problem. The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, previously said 98 Nigerians had died in mob and hate-related incidents since 2022.

Alexander said Nigeria and South Africa had agreed on five areas of cooperation, including preventive mechanisms, prosecution of offenders, restraint by public officials, respect for the rule of law and possible compensation for Nigerians whose property was damaged or abandoned during attacks.

However, an early-warning mechanism under a proposed Nigeria-South Africa memorandum of understanding remains unresolved.

Alexander said the agreement, which would enable both countries to share information and respond to potential threats before they escalate, had been under negotiation for six to seven years.

He said Nigeria had signed its side of the agreement while South Africa had completed its part, but the mechanism had yet to become operational.

The latest threats have recalled the 2019 xenophobic attacks in South Africa, which prompted Nigeria to arrange voluntary repatriation flights for citizens seeking to return home.

Alexander said the Nigerian mission would continue working to protect Nigerians in South Africa while assisting those who wish to return home safely.

“We want to be able to evacuate as many as possible so that we will not allow violence to be inflicted on them,” he said.