271 Nigerians Evacuated From South Africa Arrive Lagos

271 Nigerians fleeing South Africa xenophobia land in Lagos Friday on third FG Air Peace evacuation flight.

271 Nigerians evacuated from South Africa arrive Murtala Muhammed Airport Lagos amid xenophobia protests

Another plane load of Nigerians running from xenophobic attacks in South Africa touched down in Lagos early Friday morning.

The Air Peace flight from Johannesburg landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport at about 5:30 a.m. with 271 returnees on board. Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were on ground to receive them.

Ministry spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa said the flight is the third government-coordinated evacuation in the ongoing exercise. He noted the returnees were affected by the recent xenophobic protests in South Africa.

The returnees looked tired but relieved. They were immediately profiled by NEMA, immigration, and health officials before being moved for documentation and support.

This latest arrival follows two earlier batches. The first set of 258 evacuees came home on June 11 aboard a special Air Peace flight. The second batch of 269 Nigerians landed in Lagos on Tuesday at 10:48 a.m. from Johannesburg.

With Friday's 271, the Federal Government says it is getting close to completing the operation. The ministry had earlier disclosed that a total of 593 Nigerians had already been evacuated in previous operations, pushing the overall figure well above 800.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved five Air Peace flights for the evacuation after the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria screened more than 1,000 Nigerians who volunteered to return.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, is overseeing the response. The government describes the move as part of its citizen-centred foreign policy.

The evacuations come amid renewed anti-immigration protests in South Africa. Nigerian-owned shops in parts of Johannesburg and Pretoria were attacked, forcing many families to seek shelter at the Nigerian embassy.

Officials say the next flights will depend on the security situation on the ground. For now, the priority is settling the returnees, reuniting them with families, and helping them start again at home.