Nigeria has completed the voluntary repatriation of over 1,500 of its citizens from South Africa following weeks of xenophobic attacks and anti-immigration protests that swept through the country. The seventh and final flight, carrying 305 people from Johannesburg, landed at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on 15 July, bringing the total number of returnees to 1,516 — transported across seven batches between 11 June and 15 July aboard Air Peace and South African Airways flights.
The operation was coordinated by Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in collaboration with a wide range of government bodies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nigeria Immigration Service, the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, among others. Upon arrival in Lagos, returnees were processed and assisted with onward transportation to their home states across the country.
The repatriation was triggered by a surge in anti-immigrant sentiment in South Africa — a country that has periodically experienced outbreaks of xenophobic violence targeting foreign nationals, particularly from elsewhere on the African continent. Anti-illegal immigration groups had set an unofficial end-of-month deadline in late June for foreigners to leave, and thousands of nationals from various African countries either voluntarily departed or were expelled in the weeks that followed. Nigeria says two of its citizens were killed on 28 June amid the tensions.
Abuja has taken a firm diplomatic stance in response. The Nigerian foreign ministry reaffirmed its commitment to protecting citizens abroad and stated its opposition to "all forms of xenophobia, racial intolerance and violence." The government also indicated it would seek compensation from Pretoria — South Africa's administrative capital — for properties and businesses left behind by those who departed.
The episode underscores the persistent vulnerability of African migrant communities within the continent itself, and puts pressure on both governments to find frameworks for protecting foreign nationals while addressing the underlying economic anxieties that fuel anti-immigrant sentiment. Nigeria has said it hopes to engage in constructive dialogue with South African authorities on the matter.