Eighty-three Nigerian nationals have arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos aboard a South African Airways flight from Johannesburg, as the return of Nigerians from South Africa continues.

The returnees were received by the Director of the African Affairs Department in Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Haruna Ali-Gombe, who welcomed them on behalf of the Federal Government.

They were subsequently handed over to relevant government agencies for documentation and profiling before being reunited with their families.

The latest arrival comes after a broader repatriation and evacuation programme involving Nigerians in South Africa.

In June, South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs confirmed that it had processed 586 Nigerian nationals for repatriation after determining that they were residing in the country illegally.

The first formal repatriation flight departed South Africa on 11 June 2026, carrying 268 passengers.

Those processed were issued Emergency Travel Documents by the Nigerian High Commission and declared undesirable persons in terms of South Africa’s Immigration Act, with a five-year prohibition on re-entering the country.

This was separate from Nigeria’s voluntary evacuation programme launched amid concerns over xenophobic attacks and anti-immigrant sentiment in South Africa.

The first Nigerian evacuation flight arrived in Lagos on 11 June, with subsequent flights bringing back hundreds more Nigerians.

By mid-July, Nigeria said it had evacuated 1,490 citizens from South Africa through a series of flights operated by Air Peace and South African Airways.

NEMA subsequently reported that 1,516 vulnerable Nigerians had voluntarily returned between 11 June and 15 July.

The Nigerian government has maintained that the safety and welfare of its citizens remain a priority, particularly following reports of xenophobic attacks.

Nigerian authorities have also objected to the blanket characterisation of Nigerian nationals as undocumented, arguing that some legally resident Nigerians have faced difficulties with permits and documentation.

The South African government, meanwhile, has continued with its broader immigration enforcement programme targeting undocumented foreign nationals.

As of 3 August 2026, the government said 77,184 undocumented foreign nationals had been repatriated to various countries, while 18,816 people had been formally deported between April and July.

The arrival of the latest 83 Nigerians therefore comes against the backdrop of a complex immigration situation involving voluntary returns, humanitarian evacuations and formal deportations of undocumented migrants.

The returnees are expected to undergo the necessary documentation, profiling and onward-support processes before being reunited with their families.

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