Over 1,000 Nigerians May Return from South Africa
Nigeria has started screening its citizens in South Africa for a voluntary repatriation programme expected to cover more than one thousand people as anti immigrant tensions persist in the host country.
The process began on Thursday, according to foreign ministry spokesman Kimiebi Ebienfa. “Total figure not out yet. We are expecting over a thousand persons,” he told AFP on Friday.
The move follows a similar exercise by Ghana, which has repatriated hundreds of its citizens amid the same wave of protests and violence targeting foreigners. In one recent flight, nearly three hundred Ghanaians arrived home, with hundreds more registered for subsequent departures.
Nigeria’s High Commission in Pretoria stated in a Tuesday communique that it had negotiated waivers with South African authorities. These arrangements allow individuals with immigration related offences to depart on the repatriation flights instead of facing detention.
South Africa, the continent’s most industrialised economy, has long attracted workers from across the region, both documented and undocumented. However, with an unemployment rate of 32.7 percent in the first quarter of 2026, according to Statistics South Africa, the country has experienced repeated episodes of xenophobic protests and violence in recent weeks.
Official estimates place the number of foreigners living in South Africa at more than three million, or 5.1 percent of the population. Many originate from neighbouring states within the Southern African Development Community.
Citizen led groups have issued an ultimatum for illegal migrants to leave by June 30, heightening fears of further unrest. Past bouts of anti immigrant violence have claimed dozens of lives and prompted diplomatic interventions across the continent.
The South African government has indicated it is intensifying enforcement against undocumented immigrants while urging citizens to avoid taking the law into their own hands.
The development occurs against the backdrop of longstanding diplomatic engagement between Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Bianca Ojukwu, and her South African counterpart, Ronald Lamola. The two have held discussions on the safety of Nigerian nationals and broader bilateral concerns.
These repatriation efforts highlight the complex realities of intra African migration. Despite pan African ideals of free movement and solidarity, economic pressures and competition for resources have repeatedly strained relations between host communities and migrants in South Africa.
Analyses of migration patterns show that South Africa remains the primary destination for many workers from the region due to its relatively advanced economy and job opportunities in sectors such as mining, services and trade. Yet data from Statistics South Africa and other monitors consistently link high unemployment and service delivery challenges to periodic spikes in anti immigrant sentiment.
By facilitating voluntary returns and securing procedural waivers, Nigerian authorities aim to provide an orderly exit option for those who no longer feel secure. The scale of the current exercise, building on earlier registrations of around one hundred and thirty Nigerians in May, reflects the depth of concern among segments of the community.
The situation underscores the gap between policy aspirations for regional integration and the ground level tensions that arise when large scale migration meets structural economic difficulties.