Another batch of 105 Nigerians has returned home from South Africa following concerns over xenophobic attacks and threats against migrants.
The returnees, comprising 55 adults, 45 children and five infants, arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos late Friday night.
Their arrival comes after 100 Nigerians were repatriated from South Africa on Thursday, September 24, as part of a humanitarian intervention by the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG.
The church had earlier pledged to sponsor the return of 500 Nigerians stranded in South Africa, leaving about 295 more returnees expected to arrive in subsequent batches, subject to the completion of profiling and documentation.
The latest repatriation also comes two days after a September 30 deadline issued by anti-migrant groups in South Africa, directing undocumented migrants to leave the country.
Speaking on the intervention, Chairman of the RCCG Task Force overseeing the repatriation exercise and Special Assistant to the General Overseer on Special Duties, Pastor Belemina Obunge, said the initiative was a humanitarian contribution to the Federal Government’s efforts to bring stranded Nigerians back home.
Some of the returnees expressed joy and relief at being back on Nigerian soil.
