Final Evacuation Flight Brings Nigerians Home
The last group of evacuated Nigerians has returned from South Africa, completing the Federal Government’s emergency evacuation programme.
The final evacuation flight carrying Nigerians from South Africa has landed in Lagos, bringing the Federal Government’s return programme to a close. The operation ended after authorities completed plans for citizens who chose to leave because of rising xenophobic attacks and security concerns.
An Air Peace aircraft transported the latest group of returnees and touched down at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport at about 11.28 am. The flight marked the end of a series of evacuation missions organised by the Federal Government for Nigerians affected by growing tensions in parts of South Africa.
The government had already arranged several flights to help citizens who expressed a desire to return home. The evacuation programme followed increasing worries over the safety of Nigerians after reports of xenophobic attacks and related security incidents.
Air Peace played a leading role throughout the exercise by operating several flights between South Africa and Lagos. The final evacuation flight officially completed the operation after months of coordinated efforts.
Earlier, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) confirmed the arrival of another group of 40 returnees on a chartered aircraft. The commission’s Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, said the total number of Nigerians brought home had reached 1,174.
According to NiDCOM, four Air Peace flights separately transported 258, 266, 262, and 282 Nigerians. A ValueJet aircraft also returned 66 Nigerians, contributing to the successful completion of the nationwide evacuation programme.
What more should Nigeria do to improve support and protection for its citizens living abroad?
