The Nigerian government has announced a comprehensive plan to assist citizens returning from South Africa. Agencies are working to provide vocational training, trauma therapy, and financial support to help these individuals reintegrate. Ambassador Catherine Udida, representing the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, confirmed that over 1,000 returnees have been documented. This announcement followed the arrival of 268 Nigerians at Lagos airport via an Air Peace evacuation flight.
Government officials stated that bilateral talks between Nigeria and South Africa are ongoing to protect the safety of those remaining abroad. Various organizations, including NEMA and the Nigerian Immigration Service, are coordinating logistics to transport returnees home. Despite these efforts, many citizens arriving back in Nigeria are struggling with the loss of their livelihoods and the unfair criminalization of their character.
Returnees shared harrowing accounts of their experiences. Babatunde Oladeji, who spent two decades in South Africa, reported the loss of a successful security firm and significant financial assets. He described the situation as a targeted hostility toward Africans, where even documented residents are treated as criminals. Another returnee, 21-year-old Fola Kester, described being trapped in legal limbo by the South African Department of Home Affairs, which prevented him from continuing his education or living securely. Many returnees, like Obi from Anambra, have urged fellow Nigerians to avoid South Africa, citing a deeply entrenched prejudice that persists despite political cycles.
