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Another 65 Nigerians Head Home from South Africa Over Afrophobia

Per Second NewsAugust 25, 20261 Mins read520

By Omoyeni Ojeifo

Private donors are sponsoring the return of another batch of 65 Nigerians from South Africa on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, amid ongoing concerns over Afrophobic violence.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the arrangement, stating that the Lagos-bound flight is scheduled to depart O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg at 3:30 p.m. local time.

The returnees will travel aboard South African Airways, with their flight expected to arrive at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, at 8:45 p.m. the same day.The latest batch adds to the number of Nigerians returning home from South Africa through privately sponsored arrangements, providing another opportunity for nationals seeking to return to Nigeria.

The outgoing spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, disclosed the development in a statement, emailed to PersecondNews on Tuesday.

Persecondnews recalls that 83 Nigerians sponsored by private individuals returned to Lagos from South Africa on August 20, 2026, bringing the total number of returnees through privately sponsored arrangements to 148 with the latest batch.

The Federal Government had previously facilitated the return of 1,490 Nigerians from South Africa under its voluntary repatriation programme, bringing the combined number of returnees through government and private arrangements to 1,638 with the latest 65 returnees.