83 Nigerian Returnees Arrive Lagos From South Africa

Eighty-three Nigerian returnees have arrived in Lagos from South Africa following their repatriation aboard a South African Airways flight from Johannesburg.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement issued on Wednesday, said the returnees were accompanied by two officials from the Consulate-General of Nigeria in Johannesburg.

The ministry said the repatriation was facilitated through the procurement of flight tickets by private individuals, whose support enabled the returnees to travel safely back to Nigeria.

The returnees were received at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport by the Director of the African Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Haruna Ali-Gombe, who welcomed them on behalf of the Federal Government.

They were subsequently handed over to relevant government agencies for documentation and profiling ahead of their reunification with their families.

The ministry reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to the welfare and safe return of Nigerians stranded or living abroad.

It also expressed appreciation to the Nigerian Mission in South Africa, the private individuals who sponsored the repatriation, and government agencies involved in the reception and reintegration of the returnees.

The statement was signed by the ministry’s spokesperson, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa.