South Africa just sent 586 Nigerians back home

South Africa has started repatriating 586 Nigerians living there illegally and the first batch of 258 arrived in Lagos this morning on an Air Peace flight at 10:31am. The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, said they are committed to enforcing immigration laws and the deportations have increased by 46% in two years.

The returnees landed at the International Wing of Murtala Muhammed International Airport and were received by Abike Dabiri-Erewa of NiDCOM and officials led by Temitope Alexander Ajayi. Many left behind businesses, jobs and personal belongings. The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye, said the evacuation shows President Bola Tinubu's commitment to citizens abroad.

These people have been declared undesirable and banned from re-entering South Africa for 5 years. Another flight with the remaining 268 is scheduled for June 15. The Nigerian High Commission issued emergency travel documents to facilitate the process. It is painful to see our people deported like this but the government said it will not stand by while citizens are harassed.