Nigeria’s mission to bring its citizens home from violence-hit South Africa gathered pace on Friday as another evacuation flight touched down at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, marking the third successful repatriation in recent weeks.

The special charter flight, operated by Air Peace and funded entirely by the Federal Government, departed Oliver Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg at 5:36 a.m. local time, according to officials. Foreign Affairs Minister Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu confirmed that the aircraft carried “a total of 268 returnees and two officers and crew.”

The latest arrival brings the total number of evacuees to nearly 600 since the government launched the operation in response to escalating anti-migrant violence across South Africa. The evacuations come after vigilante groups set an unofficial June 30 deadline for undocumented foreigners to leave, triggering widespread protests and, in some cases, deadly confrontations.

President Bola Tinubu has directed that the evacuation continue beyond the deadline set by South African anti-migrant groups, the minister said. “The President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, has directed that the evacuation of Nigerian nationals from South Africa at risk as a result of the ongoing xenophobic protests and attacks continues, even after the deadline of 30th June 2026 issued by South African Anti-migrant groups and vigilantes,” Ojukwu disclosed in a statement on her X handle.

“Three batches of returnees, almost 600 Nationals in total, had earlier been successfully evacuated from South Africa before the deadline. The evacuations remain ongoing. The Federal Government is committed to bringing home safely our Nationals who voluntarily registered to be evacuated and have been duly screened and cleared,” she added.

The minister assured that the government remains unwavering in its commitment to protect citizens abroad, describing it as a “central pillar of the Renewed Hope Agenda.” “Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in adherence to that unbreakable bond between citizen and state, remains dedicated to this mandate,” she said. “The protection of Nigerian citizens abroad remains the priority of the government and a central pillar of the Renewed Hope Agenda,” adding that “the dignity of Nigerians abroad matters and will continue to be upheld.”

Deadly Violence Triggers Regional Repatriation

The violence that prompted the mass evacuation has sent shockwaves across the region. On Tuesday, thousands of demonstrators marched in cities across South Africa demanding the departure of undocumented foreign nationals, following weeks of anti-immigrant rhetoric that has claimed at least four lives — including two Mozambicans, an Ethiopian, and a Malawian, according to police.

In Johannesburg, security forces had to escort foreign nationals away from mobs brandishing large sticks, while in Durban, protesters donned traditional Zulu warrior attire, carrying spears, whips, and shields. In Cape Town, a smaller march was met with a counter-demonstration against xenophobia.

South Africa, one of the continent’s wealthiest nations, remains a magnet for migrant labour even as it grapples with an unemployment rate exceeding 30 percent, high crime rates, and deteriorating public services in many areas. Anti-immigrant groups have blamed foreigners for taking jobs and straining services — claims that analysts say unfairly scapegoat migrants for government failures.

“South Africans have been replaced by illegal foreigners, increasing unemployment,” Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, leader of the anti-immigrant March and March group, told a crowd in Durban.

Several African governments — including Nigeria, Malawi, Ghana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique — have organised voluntary repatriation flights and buses for their citizens seeking to escape the unrest, as the continent watches closely to see whether South Africa’s latest outbreak of xenophobic violence will subside or escalate further.