FG Urges Stranded Nigerians in South Africa to Prioritize Safety, Offers Ongoing Voluntary Repatriation

The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has advised its citizens residing in South Africa to prioritize their personal safety and utilize the ongoing state-sponsored emergency evacuation flights if they feel threatened or vulnerable amid escalating xenophobic tensions.

Speaking on the security updates, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, clarified that while the government is continuously engaging South African authorities at the highest diplomatic levels to ensure the protection of its nationals, individuals who feel completely unsafe should take advantage of the voluntary repatriation windows.

The advisory comes in the wake of a strict June 30 deadline issued by various South African anti-immigration groups demanding that foreign nationals leave the country. In response, President Bola Tinubu earlier approved special emergency funding for Air Peace to operate multiple evacuation flights out of Johannesburg.

So far, over 530 Nigerians have been successfully evacuated and safely brought back to Lagos in successive batches, though reports indicate thousands more remain in South Africa. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, alongside Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, re-emphasized that the evacuation process will remain open for all documented citizens who register to return home.

Furthermore, the federal government revealed it is compiling data to demand formal compensation from South Africa for properties, assets, and businesses that fleeing Nigerians were forced to abruptly abandon. For nationals choosing to remain, the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria has issued strict warnings to avoid protest hotbeds, restrict non-essential travel, and maintain constant communication lines with embassy officials.