'I barely escaped' - Nigerian returnee recounts South Africa ordeal
Key Takeaways
- 271 Nigerians returned on evacuation flight.
- Returnees described fear and heavy losses.
- More than 1,000 Nigerians remain stranded.
Hundreds of Nigerians returned to Lagos on a government-backed evacuation flight after anti-immigration protests in parts of South Africa forced many to flee.
A Nigerian who returned home from South Africa has described escaping with nothing after anti-immigration protests left many foreign nationals fearing for their safety.
The returnee was among hundreds of Nigerians who arrived in Lagos on Tuesday aboard a government-backed evacuation flight organised as tensions continued in parts of South Africa.
Recalling the experience, the returnee said the violence and uncertainty changed everything.
"Life has not been easy. Coupled with what is happening in South Africa. I barely managed to escape with my life. I lost everything <...> There is nowhere like home. Once you have life, you have more hope to live on to," the returnee said.
The flight landed at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, where officials received the passengers before they underwent immigration processing.
Nigeria's Director of Migrants Affairs at the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Catherine Imaji Udida, said efforts were continuing to help Nigerians who wished to leave South Africa.
"We are all hoping that it doesn't get worse than it is now <...> President Ahmed Bola Tinubu GCFR, has promised Nigerians that every Nigerian that wants to return will be brought back and we are working on it," she said.
While some returnees spoke of fear and loss, another Nigerian said the hostility did not reflect the views of all South Africans.
"I wouldn't say all the people feel like that. It's just a group of people that are really frustrated, so they have nowhere to turn their frustration to than other people," the returnee said.
According to local media, Tuesday's Air Peace charter flight brought back 271 Nigerians. Two earlier evacuation flights had returned another 328 people, while the Nigerian Union in South Africa said more than 1,000 Nigerians remained stranded.
The evacuations followed rising tensions ahead of a self-declared June 30 deadline announced by anti-immigration campaigners calling on undocumented migrants to leave South Africa. The South African government said it neither issued nor endorsed the deadline.
Several African countries have since prepared contingency plans or launched repatriation efforts as concerns over further unrest continued.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned attacks on foreign nationals, saying criminal acts should be handled by law enforcement rather than vigilantes.
The United Nations also expressed concern over violence and intimidation targeting migrants.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
