The Federal Government had on Wednesday evacuated 187 Nigerians from
South Africa following xenophobic attacks by its citizens on Africans.
No fewer than 319 Nigerians will be evacuated from South Africa
tomorrow (Tuesday).
Punch reports that on Sunday that arrangements for the evacuation
would be tidier than the previous one.
The Federal Government had on Wednesday evacuated 187 Nigerians from
South Africa following xenophobic attacks by its citizens on Africans.
The Wednesday flight was delayed by hitches introduced by South
African officials, who insisted that some of the evacuated Nigerians
did not have travel documents.
The 187 returnees were the first batch of the 640 Nigerians, who
registered for evacuation following the xenophobic attacks. They
arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at 9:34
pm last Wednesday.
The Chairman of Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission, Abike
Dabiri-Erewa, told the newspaper that the list of passengers was being
updated.
She added that the necessary travel documents would be given to the
intending returnees and other immigration issues addressed to ensure a
smooth evacuation process.
She said, “We are still looking at 319. We have 319 registered for
the next flight, but the list is still being updated. For the flight,
we are looking at Tuesday or Wednesday so that proper documentation
would be done. We don’t want a situation where the plane will return
half-empty with few passengers.”
When contacted, the Consul-General of Nigerian High Commission in
South Africa, Godwin Adama, explained that he was still compiling the
list.