700 More Nigerians to Return Home from South Africa Amid Xenophobic Attacks.

Federal Government Dismisses Bribery Allegations as Evacuation Efforts Intensify

The Nigerian government has confirmed that another 700 stranded citizens will be evacuated from South Africa over the coming days, as authorities accelerate efforts to bring home those affected by the recent wave of xenophobic violence in the country.

This latest operation will push the total number of repatriated Nigerians to nearly 1,300, marking one of the largest government-led rescue missions from South Africa in recent memory.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday that three additional evacuation flights have been scheduled for Nigerians who voluntarily registered to return home. The first of these flights is expected to arrive at Lagos's Murtala Muhammed International Airport early Friday morning, carrying 271 returnees.

So far, 593 Nigerians have already been brought back in three separate batches. The first group of 258 arrived on June 11 aboard a special Air Peace flight and were received by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye, before being handed over to relevant agencies for documentation and profiling.

The second evacuation flight faced logistical delays, leaving some stranded Nigerians temporarily sheltered at the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria. However, a Nigerian philanthropist stepped in to cover the airfares of 66 compatriots, who returned to Lagos aboard a South African Airways flight on June 24. A government-arranged flight followed on June 30 with 269 more returnees.

Government Denies Bribery Claims

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly rejected allegations that Nigerian officials demanded money from citizens seeking evacuation. In a statement released Thursday, spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa described these claims as "totally false" and urged the public to disregard them.

"For the avoidance of doubt, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to place on record that all the special evacuation flights are fully paid for by the Federal Government and at no cost to the returnees," the statement read.

The government's clarification comes amid what it described as "insinuations and false allegations" circulating about the evacuation process.

The ongoing repatriation effort reflects Nigeria's commitment to protecting its citizens abroad as tensions continue to simmer in South Africa following renewed attacks on foreign nationals.