Xenophobic attacks: FG evacuates 39 additional Nigerians from South Africa

The Federal Government has evacuated an additional 39 Nigerians from Johannesburg, South Africa, via an emergency Air Peace flight arranged to accommodate those who couldn’t board Thursday’s scheduled evacuation.

Foreign Affairs Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu announced the development in a statement on Friday, explaining that the extra flight was necessary to prevent disruptions to the main evacuation schedule for nationals who had completed their documentation on time.

The flight is expected to touch down at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Friday, July 10, 2026, at 8:50 PM.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu praised Air Peace for its cooperation in facilitating the unscheduled operation.

She also confirmed that the final flight under the exercise, which will bring home roughly 300 more Nigerians, is scheduled to arrive next week.

Reaffirming the government’s dedication to citizen safety, the minister noted that President Bola Tinubu remains committed to protecting Nigerians affected by the ongoing xenophobic violence in South Africa.

The evacuation effort, which began on June 11, 2026, in response to renewed anti-migrant attacks that claimed the lives of several Nigerians—including Musa Yunana Joe and Charles Iroegbu—has so far seen 287 nationals (272 adults and 12 infants) returned. This followed an earlier disruption when a plane’s windshield shattered in Johannesburg, prompting Air Peace to deploy a replacement aircraft.

President Tinubu had previously approved extending the exercise beyond its initial June 30 deadline to allow more Nigerians wishing to return home to do so.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

See author's posts