For many Nigerians in Johannesburg, Wednesday night will not be another night of uncertainty. It will be the night they board Air Peace and leave behind weeks of fear, burnt shops, and the threat of xenophobic attacks.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the first batch of evacuees will depart Oliver Tambo International Airport at night. By 5:00 a.m. Thursday, they are expected to touch down at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos — back on home soil.
It’s a flight funded entirely by the Federal Government. No tickets. No hidden charges. “All affected Nigerians will be repatriated at no cost to them,” said MFA spokesperson Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa.
For families who have watched videos of looted stores and heard stories of neighbors turning hostile, the news brings a cautious relief. The ministry says this is just the first wave. More flights will follow as documentation is completed.
The journey doesn’t end at the airport tarmac. Ebienfa explained that agencies have been mobilized to receive the returnees. Upon landing in Lagos, evacuees will go through documentation and profiling — the formal process of confirming identities and needs. Then comes the support: counseling, temporary shelter, medical checks, and transport to reunite them with families waiting across Nigeria.
“It’s not just about bringing them home,” an MFA official who asked not to be named said. “It’s about making sure they land on their feet.”
Air Peace, which has carried out similar evacuations before, will handle the operation. The airline’s involvement has become familiar in Nigeria’s crisis response — from Libya to Sudan, and now South Africa.
Xenophobic attacks in South Africa have flared up for years, often targeting African migrants accused of “taking jobs.” For Nigerians running small businesses in Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Durban, the tension has turned daily life into a risk calculation: open shop or stay indoors?
This evacuation won’t end that cycle. But for the men and women packing their bags tonight, it means a pause — a chance to breathe without looking over their shoulder.
By dawn Thursday, Murtala Muhammed Airport will fill with reunions. Mothers waiting with wrappers, children holding signs, and returnees stepping out with just a few bags and a lot of stories.
The Ministry says it will continue to monitor the situation and work with South African authorities to protect Nigerians who choose to remain. For now, though, the priority is getting the first batch home.
Because sometimes, the most powerful statement a country can make to its citizens abroad is simple: _We’re coming to get you._
