The Federal Government has announced that another evacuation flight will depart for Johannesburg on Tuesday to bring home Nigerians affected by the renewed wave of xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, disclosed this in a statement posted on her official X handle on Monday, saying the flight is part of the government’s ongoing evacuation exercise for Nigerians who wish to return home.
The latest operation comes after four batches of Nigerians were successfully evacuated from South Africa since the exercise began last month. According to the minister, the final evacuation flight is expected to arrive in South Africa on July 10.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu urged Nigerians residing in South Africa to carefully assess their security situation and take advantage of the Federal Government-sponsored evacuation flights if they believe their lives are at risk.
She said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the extension of the evacuation exercise beyond the initial June 30 deadline to enable more Nigerians to benefit from the programme, noting that the fourth evacuation flight arrived in Nigeria on July 3.
The minister also condemned the recent killing of two Nigerians in South Africa and called on the South African authorities to investigate the incidents thoroughly and ensure those responsible are brought to justice.