Final South Africa repatriation flight to arrive Lagos Wednesday

The federal government’s final evacuation flight from South Africa will land in Lagos on Wednesday.

In a statement on Tuesday, Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson of the ministry of foreign affairs, said the flight, operated by Air Peace, is expected to depart Johannesburg with 315 returnees at 1:30am.

Ebienfa pegged the estimated time of arrival at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport at 6.30am.

It would be the government’s fifth evacuation flight and the seventh batch of Nigerians to be repatriated from South Africa following the xenophobic violence.

Over 1,000 Nigerians were said to have indicated interest to return.

The fourth evacuation flight arrived on July 9 with 282 returnees, bringing the total number of Nigerians repatriated from South Africa since the evacuation flights began on June 11 to 1,141.

Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, minister of foreign affairs, asked Nigerians to take advantage of the ongoing exercise to return home.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s call came as two more Nigerians were reported dead in South Africa, bringing the official death toll of Nigerian citizens in the country, since the latest xenophobic violence to four.

Some repatriated Nigerians have alleged that the figures are higher.

The minister assured that the federal government would ensure that no citizen who expressed interest to return home would be left behind.(TheCable)