Nigeria is preparing to bring home more than 1,000 citizens from South Africa as tensions over immigration intensify in the country. The repatriation plan comes at a time when South Africa continues to be a major destination for both documented and undocumented African workers, but recent violence has raised fresh concerns.
Abuja’s decision follows a similar move by Ghana, which recently returned hundreds of its nationals from South Africa after protests and attacks targeting foreigners escalated. The West African country acted in response to renewed unrest that left many foreign nationals vulnerable.
According to Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson for Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, screening for the voluntary repatriation exercise began on Thursday. He told AFP on Friday that the final number was still being collated, but projections indicated over 1,000 people would be evacuated. “Total figure not out yet,” Ebienfa said. “We are expecting over 1,000 persons.”
In a statement dated Tuesday, Nigeria’s High Commission in Pretoria said it had secured waivers with South African authorities. The agreement ensures that Nigerians with immigration-related offences will be allowed to board repatriation flights instead of facing detention. This concession is expected to speed up the evacuation process and protect citizens from legal complications during exit.
South Africa remains the continent’s most industrialised economy and has historically attracted workers from across Africa. However, the country is grappling with unemployment above 30 per cent, a factor that has repeatedly fueled xenophobic sentiment. Recent weeks have seen a fresh wave of protests and violence directed at foreign nationals.
The current unrest has reignited difficult conversations across Africa about xenophobia, migration policy and the distance between pan-African ideals and the reality on the ground. A citizen-led group issued an ultimatum demanding the expulsion of all illegal migrants by June 30, a deadline that has stoked fears of another outbreak of violence similar to past incidents that claimed multiple lives.
The South African government says it is tightening enforcement against undocumented immigrants but has appealed to citizens to avoid taking the law into their own hands. Official data shows more than three million foreigners reside in South Africa, representing about 5.1 per cent of the population according to the national statistics agency. Over 63 per cent of these migrants come from countries within the 16-member Southern African Development Community.
