The Federal Government has dismissed reports claiming that Nigerians evacuated from South Africa were asked to pay for their return, insisting that the evacuation exercise was fully funded by the government.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, described the reports as false and urged the public to disregard them.
According to the ministry, all special evacuation flights arranged for Nigerians affected by the ongoing xenophobic protests in South Africa were paid for by the Federal Government, with no financial burden placed on the returnees.
The ministry disclosed that 593 Nigerians have so far been evacuated, while about 700 more who have voluntarily registered and completed the required screening and clearance processes are expected to return in the coming days.
It explained that the first batch of 258 evacuees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on June 11 aboard a special Air Peace flight.
They were received by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, before being handed over to relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies for documentation and profiling.
The ministry said logistical challenges delayed the second evacuation flight, resulting in some Nigerians being temporarily accommodated at the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria, where they received care and support.
It added that a Nigerian philanthropist voluntarily sponsored the flight tickets of 66 stranded Nigerians, who returned to Lagos aboard a South African Airways flight on June 24.
A third evacuation flight landed on June 30 with 269 returnees, bringing the total number of Nigerians evacuated from South Africa to 593.
The ministry further announced that three additional evacuation flights have been scheduled, with the next batch of 271 returnees expected to arrive at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, at about 5:30 a.m. on Friday.
