The Federal Government has successfully brought home another 282 Nigerians from South Africa, with the fourth evacuation flight landing at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
The latest Air Peace flight increases the total number of Nigerians repatriated since the evacuation exercise began on June 11 to 1,141.
The evacuation followed renewed concerns over the safety of Nigerians in South Africa, where xenophobic attacks have claimed the lives of at least four Nigerian citizens, according to official figures, although some returnees believe the actual death toll is higher.
Last week, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, urged Nigerians wishing to return home to take advantage of the government’s ongoing evacuation programme, assuring that no interested citizen would be left behind.
Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the fifth and final evacuation flight is expected to arrive in Nigeria next week, bringing the repatriation exercise to a close.