The Federal Government has confirmed a delay in the fourth evacuation flight for Nigerians stranded in South Africa following renewed xenophobic attacks, after a technical fault was discovered on the aircraft scheduled for the operation.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the aircraft was unable to depart Johannesburg after cracks were detected on the cockpit windscreen during safety checks, forcing the flight to be suspended.
The ministry’s spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said Air Peace had decided to deploy another aircraft to South Africa on Wednesday to continue the evacuation exercise. He apologised for the delay and assured affected passengers that efforts were underway to complete the mission as quickly as possible.
The delayed flight was expected to transport 270 Nigerians from Johannesburg back to Nigeria as part of the Federal Government’s ongoing evacuation programme.
So far, the government has successfully evacuated 859 Nigerians since violence targeting foreign nationals resurfaced in South Africa.
The latest wave of attacks has been linked to a group campaigning for the removal of foreign nationals from the country, prompting Nigeria to intensify efforts to bring home citizens who wish to return.
The Federal Government has maintained that it will continue coordinating evacuation operations until all Nigerians affected by the crisis who choose to return have been safely brought home.
