The Federal Government has postponed the planned repatriation of Nigerian citizens from South Africa until Wednesday, citing unforeseen logistical challenges.
The development was disclosed on Monday by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, in a brief statement issued to journalists.
According to him, the evacuation flight, which was initially expected to take place on Monday, has been rescheduled.
“Due to unforeseen logistical considerations, the repatriation flight has been moved to Wednesday,” the statement said.
No further details were provided regarding the reason for the postponement, while authorities have yet to disclose the exact number of Nigerians expected on the first flight.
Officials also did not confirm whether the returnees would arrive in Abuja or Lagos, nor was the departure time for Wednesday’s operation made public.
Air Peace is expected to handle the repatriation exercise, although the Foreign Ministry has not formally announced the airline’s schedule.
The planned evacuation follows a screening exercise conducted for more than 1,000 Nigerians residing in South Africa. The exercise commenced last Thursday and formed part of arrangements to return citizens who expressed willingness to leave following a resurgence of xenophobic attacks in the country.
As part of the process, the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria said it secured waivers from South African authorities to enable Nigerians with immigration-related offences to depart through the repatriation programme instead of facing detention.
The repatriation effort comes amid growing concerns over the safety of foreign nationals in South Africa and follows a similar exercise carried out by Ghana earlier this month.
Nigerian authorities are expected to announce further details on the evacuation once the logistical issues delaying the operation are resolved.
The federal government had last week commenced the screening of more than 1,000 citizens in South Africa ahead of plans to evacuate those willing to return home following a recent surge in xenophobic attacks targeting foreign nationals
The move comes 39 days after two Nigerians were killed during the attacks in South Africa.
In one widely shared clip, a group of locals confronted a Ghanaian national, questioning his presence and accusing migrants of abandoning their home countries instead of improving them.
The situation intensified after the Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg confirmed the killing of two Nigerians — Amaramiro Emmanuel and Ekpenyong Andrew.
The New Daily Prime reported April 27, 2026, two Nigerians, Amaramiro Emmanuel and Ekpenyong Andrew, in separate incidents linked to escalating tensions in South Africa.
The Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg confirmed this through the Consul-General, Ninikanwa Okey-Uche, who said Emmanuel died from injuries allegedly sustained after being beaten by personnel of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) on April 20, while Andrew was arrested a day earlier in the Booysens area of Pretoria following an alleged altercation with officers of the Tshwane Metro Police. His body was later found at the Pretoria Central Mortuary.
