Xenophobic violence: Many Nigerians opt to return home as consulate arranges free evacuation flights

Nigeria’s consulate in South Africa, in collaboration with NICASA, has offered free repatriation flights to Nigerians amid rising xenophobic violence, as many indicate interest in returning home.

The Nigerian Consulate, in collaboration with the Nigerian Citizens Association in South Africa (NICASA), has offered free repatriation flights to Nigerians willing to return home permanently amid rising violence and xenophobic attacks in South Africa. The President of NICASA, Frank Onyekwelu, who spoke to PUNCH, acknowledged that the situation had forced many Nigerians to shut their shops and businesses.

According to him, there is currently no structured support system in place for affected Nigerians, but the consulate’s intervention is already providing an option for those who wish to leave. Onyekwelu said many Nigerians were already indicating interest in returning home. He said, “The Nigerian Consulate in conjunction with NICASA has offered a free repatriation flight to any Nigerian who wishes to leave South Africa permanently, and the process is ongoing as we have recorded many Nigerians signalling interest to return home.”

Meanwhile, SaharaReporters reported that the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema, criticised the wave of xenophobic attacks targeting foreign nationals, including Nigerians, challenging perpetrators to justify their actions with tangible economic outcomes. Speaking amid rising tensions, Malema said, “You say Zimbabweans take your job, Nigerians take your jobs and you March and close shops and beat up people, tell us after doing all this, how many jobs have you created.” He added, “You have beaten them, you have taken them out of the country, how many jobs have you created from it. You close a shop that hires five people and you say they take our jobs. After closing that shop, how many jobs have you created.”

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