The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) has announced its plans to repatriate about 1,000 Nigerians from South Africa following an increase in xenophobic attacks.
This was made known on Friday by the spokesperson of the ministry of foreign affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, saying that “Total figure not out yet. We are expecting over a 1,000 persons.”
According to him, the screening for voluntary repatriation started on Thursday and is expected to end on Saturday.
This development follows a similar move by Ghana, which recently repatriated about 300 of its citizens from South Africa as a result of increasing violence and protests directed at foreign citizens.
The government of South Africa has stated it was increasing its enforcement against illegal immigrants and advised its citizens not to take matters into their own hands.
The recent exodus of foreign nationals is a result of an increase in xenophobic attacks.
A citizen-led group issued a deadline of June 30 for illegal migrants to leave South Africa.
