Following the xenophobic attacks in South Africa, a privately owned airline, Air Peace volunteered to air lift willing Nigerians from South Africa back to Nigeria.
The airline had last Wednesday commenced the exercise with the evacuation of 178 Nigerians in the first batch.
The management of Air Peace has confirmed that it would continue with the airlift of more Nigerians from South Africa following latest xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other African migrants in that country.
The second batch of the exercise was delayed due to the inability of the Nigerian High Commission to process travel documents for Nigerians willing to return home after it was alledged that the South African immigration authority had created bottle necks during the lifting of the first batch.
The airline said the flight is expected to arrive Lagos from Oliver Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, by 7:00 pm Tuesday.
The Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, confirmed it that the flight would leave Nigeria after midnight on Tuesday to arrive South Africa in the morning. He also disclosed that
out of over 600 Nigerians willing to return home, 360 of them had been cleared for the evacuation, adding that the airline would airlift 320 in the second batch, which is the maximum capacity of the aircraft.
The South African president Cyril Ramaphosa had earlier sent an envoy to some African countries including Nigeria who have been directly affected by the attacks in his country but inspite of that, insecurity and uncertainties have forced many Nigerians to willingly opt for home.
The Nigerian High Commission in South Africa said that it has been collaborating with immigration officials in the former apartheid nation to clear all Nigerians willing to return home.
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