Another batch of 105 Nigerians has returned home from South Africa amid concerns over xenophobic attacks targeting migrants.
The latest batch, comprising 55 adults, 45 children and five infants, arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos late Friday night.
Their return follows the repatriation of 100 Nigerians 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. With the latest arrivals, about 295 more Nigerians are expected to be brought home in subsequent batches, subject to the completion of the required profiling and documentation.
The latest arrivals came two days after the September 30 deadline issued by anti-migrant groups in South Africa, which directed undocumented migrants to leave the country.
Speaking on the intervention, Pastor Belemina Obunge, Chairman of the RCCG Task Force overseeing the repatriation exercise and Special Assistant to the General Overseer on Special Duties, said the initiative was a humanitarian contribution to the Federal Government’s efforts to facilitate the return of stranded Nigerians.
Some of the returnees expressed joy and relief at being back on Nigerian soil, following their ordeal in South Africa.
