A second batch of 66 Nigerian citizens has been successfully evacuated from South Africa following a renewed wave of xenophobic violence.
The returnees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Wednesday night under an emergency repatriation directive approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
This operation follows an earlier exercise on June 11, which saw the first batch of 258 affected citizens return home aboard a chartered Air Peace flight.
Head of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NiDCOM, in Lagos, Dipo Onabowale, said the latest evacuation was facilitated by Kunle Soname, chairman and chief executive officer of ValueJet, with officials of the Nigerian High Commission in South Africa accompanying the returnees.
Onabowale, who spoke on behalf of Abike Dabiri-Erewa, NiDCOM chairman, commended Tinubu for approving the evacuation.
“There are 66 people in the second batch. Logistical challenges encountered during the first evacuation exercise are being addressed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The Foreign Affairs Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has assured that all registered Nigerians in South Africa would be evacuated,” Onabowale said.
