Xenophobia: FG issues final evacuation call for Nigerians in South Africa

Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, has issued a final call for Nigerian nationals in South Africa to register for the Federal Government’s chartered evacuation flights.

She warned that the last flight is expected to arrive in South Africa on July 10 and that there are no signs that the xenophobic situation is improving.

The minister made the disclosure in a statement posted on her X account on Monday, urging Nigerians who consider their lives at risk to take advantage of the government-sponsored evacuation before the programme closes.

She noted that the government’s concerns had deepened following the deaths of two Nigerians, Musa Yunana Joe and Charles Iroegbu, during the unrest. The minister also disclosed that the Nigerian government had demanded an urgent investigation into the killings.

What the minister is saying

Ojukwu said another evacuation flight will depart for Johannesburg on Tuesday, July 7, ahead of the final flight expected to arrive in South Africa on July 10, and urged Nigerians still undecided about leaving to weigh the risks carefully.

• “For many still sitting on the fence, they should do well to note that properties and investments lost can be replaced, but not lives lost,” she said in the statement.
• “There are no signs that the situation is improving,” she added, urging citizens to utilise the full capacity of the aircraft and take advantage of the extended programme.

On the deaths of Musa Yunana Joe and Charles Iroegbu, Ojukwu said the Federal Government continues to demand accountability from South African authorities.

• “We demand that South African authorities urgently investigate the incidents and bring those responsible to justice,” she said.

More insights

The minister said Nigerian nationals are strongly advised to weigh the risks of remaining in South Africa against the option of returning home under the government’s evacuation programme, which covers charter flights at no cost to evacuees.

She noted that the Federal Government’s evacuation programme has already completed four separate operations. President Bola Tinubu extended the evacuation beyond its original June 30 deadline, with the fourth flight having arrived in Nigeria on July 3.

The fourth evacuation flight arrived in Nigeria on July 3, and the government confirmed the programme has been extended beyond the original deadline at President Tinubu’s directive to ensure more Nigerians can access the flights.

Citizens wishing to be evacuated are advised to complete documentation requirements ahead of the remaining flights.

Get up to speed

The evacuation programme comes against the backdrop of sustained xenophobic violence in South Africa that has continued since April 2026.

• Several foreigners, including Nigerans have been affected by the widespread violence, and many have lost properties, or in the most severe cases, their lives.
• In late June, dozens of Nigerians in South Africa took shelter at the Nigerian High Commission amid growing fears of xenophobic violence, a development that was reported by Nairametrics.
• The acts of violence against foreigners in South Africa has since sparked widespread condemnations across Nigeria and beyond. Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a formal condemnation on Sunday, warning that “all options remain on the table” if attacks on Nigerians persist.

The ministry also criticized a South African government spokesperson who reportedly challenged Nigerians leaving due to xenophobic protests to disclose the location of hidden drugs, remarks Nigeria described as derogatory and capable of inciting further hostility.

South Africa’s Justice Minister has acknowledged that the crisis is causing economic and reputational damage beyond the country’s borders, with Nigerian and other African nations having repatriated hundreds of their citizens in response to the ongoing violence.

What you should know

Earlier this month, Nairametrics reported that Air Peace founder and Chief Executive Officer, Allen Onyema, called on Nigerians to withdraw their investments from South Africa and boycott the country over the latest wave of xenophobic attacks against foreign nationals, including Nigerians.

Speaking during an exclusive interview on ARISE News, Onyema argued that economic measures, rather than violence, should be Nigeria’s response to the attacks.

He stressed that businesses operating in Nigeria should not be targeted, advocating peaceful but firm economic retaliation instead.