The Federal Government has said arrangements for the deployment of aircraft to evacuate Nigerians seeking to return from South Africa will commence after the completion of an ongoing screening and verification exercise.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed that the screening process, which began on Thursday and concludes on Friday, will determine the final number of Nigerians eligible for evacuation and enable authorities to proceed with repatriation plans.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said the exercise is being carried out jointly by the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria, South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), the South African Police Service and immigration authorities.

According to Ebienfa, the screening is aimed at verifying the identities, immigration status and travel documents of Nigerians who have indicated interest in returning home.

“At the end of the screening, we will have a definite figure that have been cleared for evacuation. Thereafter, government will finalise the details about deployment of aircraft to bring them home,” he said.

The planned evacuation follows growing concerns over the safety of Nigerians and other foreign nationals in South Africa amid reports of attacks, intimidation and rising anti-immigrant sentiments in some communities.

Many Nigerians have reportedly sought assistance from authorities to return home, with more than 1,000 citizens said to have registered for voluntary evacuation.

Officials said aviation and diplomatic authorities would determine the number of aircraft required, flight schedules and reception arrangements for returnees upon the conclusion of the verification exercise.

The Federal Government also assured affected Nigerians that it is working closely with South African authorities to ensure their safety pending evacuation.

The repatriation effort comes against the backdrop of recurring xenophobic attacks in South Africa that have periodically strained relations between the two countries.

Previous incidents in 2008, 2015 and 2019 resulted in deaths, injuries and the destruction of businesses owned by foreign nationals, including Nigerians.

With the screening exercise nearing completion, attention has shifted to the deployment of aircraft expected to bring stranded Nigerians back home in what officials describe as one of the largest recent voluntary repatriation operations involving Nigerians in South Africa.