Photo Credit: The Cable
More than 130 Nigerians in South Africa have voluntarily registered to return home following renewed xenophobic attacks against foreign nationals, the president of the Nigerian community in South Africa said Thursday.
Frank Onyekwelu disclosed the figure during an appearance on Channels Television’s _Morning Brief_ programme. He said the registrations for repatriation were voluntary and came amid rising tension and reported attacks targeting foreigners in parts of South Africa this week.
Details of the latest incidents were not immediately provided. Onyekwelu did not specify the timeline for evacuation or the states to which returnees would be repatriated. The Nigerian government has not yet issued an official statement on the repatriation request as of Thursday morning.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its High Commission in Pretoria have previously coordinated evacuations during periods of xenophobic violence. The most recent large-scale return was in 2019, when hundreds of Nigerians were airlifted after attacks in Johannesburg and Pretoria.
