The Federal Government says 270 Nigerians in South Africa will be brought back home this week under its ongoing voluntary evacuation programme.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the returnees will arrive at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Wednesday morning aboard an Air Peace flight specially arranged for the exercise.
The evacuation is being coordinated by the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria alongside other government agencies to assist Nigerians who have decided to leave South Africa following the recent wave of xenophobic tensions.
In a statement issued on Monday, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, outlined the travel schedule for the operation.
The statement read, “In continuation of the ongoing evacuation of our nationals from South Africa, the Air Peace aircraft deployed for the process is expected to depart Lagos tomorrow, Tuesday 7 July, 2026, for Johannesburg, South Africa at 3.30 p.m.
“The aircraft will depart Johannesburg for Lagos with 270 returnees at 12.00 midnight, and the estimated time of arrival at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos is 5.00 a.m. on Wednesday, 8 July, 2026, all things being equal.”
Nigeria has organised similar evacuation exercises in the past for citizens caught up in conflicts, humanitarian emergencies, immigration challenges and other difficult situations overseas.
Air Peace has consistently supported many of those operations, providing flights to bring stranded Nigerians back home from different countries.
The latest evacuation follows renewed concerns over attacks and anti-immigrant sentiment in South Africa. The Federal Government recently reassured Nigerians still living in the country that efforts were being made to protect their interests, even as diplomatic engagements continue over the situation.
The development also comes weeks after another group of Nigerians was successfully evacuated from Johannesburg to Lagos in a similar government-backed operation.
