Nigeria: Xenophobia - State Foreign Minister to Receive 268 Nigerians Thursday

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, will on Thursday morning receive 268 Nigerians evacuated from South Africa following recent xenophobic attacks in the country.

In a press statement signed by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, on Wednesday, the minister will represent the Federal Government in receiving the returnees at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

The statement said the Acting High Commissioner of Nigeria in Pretoria, Ambassador Alexander Ajayi, will escort the first batch of 268 passengers to Nigeria and formally hand them over to the Minister.

According to the ministry, the Air Peace evacuation flight is expected to arrive in Lagos at about 5:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 11, 2026.

The ministry also disclosed that the ongoing screening exercise for Nigerians willing to voluntarily return home due to the xenophobic attacks has been extended to Sunday, June 14, 2026, to accommodate more affected persons.

It stated that the extension reflects the Federal Government's commitment to the welfare and protection of Nigerians abroad.

The ministry further assured that relevant ministries, departments and agencies have put in place adequate reception, documentation and support arrangements for the returnees upon their arrival.

AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC.

Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox

To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you.

There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.