No fewer than 15,000 Nigerians willing to come back home, Vanguard can authoritatively report, are still stranded in South Africa on the eve of June 30 deadline issued by anti-immigration groups.

The revelation came as the federal government yesterday said it was evacuating 271 more Nigerians as it ramps up repatriation drive ahead of the deadline.

A stranded Nigerian told Vanguard that some government officials in South Africa were extorting people to pave way for addition of their names to the evacuation list.

“I am tired; the officials here are asking people for money before they will be included in the list of people to be repatriated.

‘’I can no longer wait for Nigeria to come home; I have purchased my own ticket and I will be coming home next week but so many others don’t have money to buy their way home,” the source said.

Meanwhile, the federal government said that evacuation of willing Nigerians would continue beyond June 30.

But spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, denied the allegation, saying nobody was being extorted.

He, however, confirmed that an Air Peace aircraft would depart Nigeria at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, June 29, 2026, and leave South Africa with the latest batch of evacuees at about 12:00 midnight South African time.

“The return flight is scheduled to depart South Africa at 12:00 midnight and is expected to arrive at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, on Tuesday morning. This will bring home 271 additional Nigerians who have volunteered to return,” Ebienfa said, adding that 700 more would be evacuated, depending on the situation on ground in South Africa.

Corroborating him, Air Peace spokesperson, Mr Efe Osifo-Whiskey, said the airline was set to evacuate 271 Nigerians, but said the flight was yet to leave Nigeria as at 3:50pm yesterday due to inexplicable delays.

“The aircraft has not departed yet. They will let me know when it is time, but I do not know the reason for the delay. We are looking at evacuating 271 people, but let us see what happens when they arrive in Lagos.”

Asked whether the flight was being subsidised, as was the first evacuation flight. I have no idea because I am not part of those discussions,’’ he said.

The latest flight is part of a programme approved by President Bola Tinubu earlier this month to facilitate the voluntary return of Nigerians willing to leave South Africa following planned anti-immigrant protests slated to begin on June 30.

The federal government had on June 7 approved five Air Peace evacuation flights to repatriate citizens after more than 1,000 Nigerians were screened for the exercise.

So far, 334 Nigerians have been evacuated in two earlier batches. The first batch of 268 evacuees arrived on June 11 via Air Peace, while another 66, mostly women and children in vulnerable conditions, landed in Lagos on June 25 via ValueJet.

No Nigerian will be left behind — Amb Odumegwu-Ojukwu

Meanwhile, giving an update on the latest repatriation, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, said in an update posted on her X handle that evacuation of willing Nigerians would continue even after the deadline elapsed to ensure that no Nigerian citizen “who wants to come back to our home country is left behind.”

She said: “Today’s evacuation flight,operated by AirPeace Airlines and fully funded by the Federal Govt is expected to land at Oliver Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa later this afternoon to bring home our nationals ahead of the deadline issued by S\A Anti-migrant groups.

“The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has further directed that the evacuations will continue, even after the deadline has elapsed to ensure that no Nigerian citizen, who wants to come back to our home country is left behind.’’

She noted that the exercise was being coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with Air Peace, while the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, and Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NIDCOM, would be on hand at the Lagos airport for documentation, health screenings and profiling of returnees.

“The safety of our citizens abroad remains the core of the citizen diplomacy imperative of the Renewed Hope Agenda.

“We have an unbreakable commitment to protecting our citizens outside national borders and upholding the sovereign bond between our Nation and its nationals , especially those that are imperiled,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu said.

Safety advisory for those staying behind

Ebienfa urged Nigerians who may remain after the June 30 protests to “be calm and security conscious, avoid routes and areas dominated by protesters. Always be in contact with the Nigerian High Commission for necessary updates.”

The Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria had earlier advised Nigerians to avoid unnecessary movement, stay away from protest venues and remain vigilant, following intelligence reports of planned demonstrations targeting foreign nationals.

The federal government has also said it was working closely with South African authorities to ensure the safety of Nigerians while continuing the evacuation of those who wished to return home.

Nigerian businessman shot dead

Thie repatriation plans came as a Nigerian businessman, popularly known as Big Joe, was reportedly shot dead outside his shop in Witbank (Emalahleni), Mpumalanga Province, South Africa.

According to eyewitness accounts, the victim was attacked by unidentified gunmen while standing outside his business premises.

President of the Nigerian Union in South Africa, Smart Nwobi, confirmed the death of the businessman and another Nigerian in South Africa, ahead of the June 30 xenophobic protest.

Mr Nwobi, who disclosed this in an interview aired on ARISE TV yesterday, decried xenophobic attacks targeting black foreign nationals in South Africa.

He stated: “I could conclude that the two deaths that occurred, one yesterday, were a result of the authorities, metro officers, who hacked a Nigerian person to death.

“We received this news yesterday. The other death was a Nigerian national in Witbank who sells gold and diamonds. He has a shop, and he was shot down in front of his shop by locals after he opened his shop.” (Vanguard)

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