The Federal Government has begun the evacuation of its citizens from South Africa, presently home to rising xenophobic attacks against other Africans in the country, with the first batch expected Thursday evening.

Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who indicated this on Wednesday, said the evacuees would leave South Africa late Wednesday and touch down at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos on Thursday evening.

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He said in a statement: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to inform that the first batch of Nigerian nationals that will be evacuated from the Republic of South Africa due to Xenophobic attacks will depart the Oliver Thambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Wednesday night, and the expected time of arrival at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos is 5.00 am on Thursday morning.

“The evacuation operation will be undertaken by Air Peace Airlines. The Federal Government of Nigeria has fully funded the evacuation exercise; consequently, all affected Nigerians will be repatriated at no cost to them.”

Ebienfa assured Nigerians that the Federal Government, through relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), has put in place the necessary reception and support arrangements for the returnees.

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“Upon arrival, the evacuees will undergo documentation and profiling procedures and will receive the appropriate assistance and support before being reunited with their families,” the ministry’s spokesperson added.

Tensions soared in South Africa after a citizen-led group opposed to irregular migration last month ordered all undocumented foreign nationals to leave by June 30.

Ghana and Mozambique have repatriated hundreds of their citizens; Malawi and Nigeria have announced they would do the same. Last week, Nigeria said it planned to repatriate more than 1,000 of its nationals from South Africa.

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“Total figure not out yet,” Ebienfa said. “We are expecting over a 1,000 persons.”

In a statement, Nigeria’s High Commission in Pretoria said it had “negotiated waivers with host authorities” so that those with “immigration-related offences” would be allowed to leave on the eventual repatriation flights rather than be detained.

On Monday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, said Nigeria may be considering retaliatory measures against South Africa following the hostility towards Nigerians and other black African migrants.

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When asked whether Nigeria was considering retaliatory measures, Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the option was under consideration.

“Well, that is a situation that we are considering. This is up to our legislature,” she said. “This is a decision that has to be taken at the highest level of government, but it’s not off the table.”

South Africa, until recently the continent’s most industrialised economy, has long attracted workers from across the region.

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But saddled with an unemployment rate of over 30 percent, it has seen repeated spurts of xenophobic protests — including renewed violence in recent weeks.

The latest tensions have revived uncomfortable debates across Africa about xenophobia, migration and the gap between pan-African rhetoric and realities facing migration on the continent.

An ultimatum by one citizen-led group for illegal migrants to be expelled by June 30 has raised fears of violence after bouts of anti-immigrant unrest in the past that claimed dozens of lives.

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Last month, Ghana repatriated some 300 people, the first batch of what authorities said was expected to be a total of about 800 Ghanaian nationals.

The South African government has said it is stepping up enforcement against undocumented immigrants but urged citizens not to take matters into their own hands.

There are more than three million foreigners living in South Africa, or 5.1 percent of the population, according to the statistics agency.

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More than 63 percent come from countries in the 16-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) bloc.

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President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday, announced the approval of the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats and ordered the immediate release of ₦10 billion as emergency intervention funding.

Bayo Onanuga, presidential spokesman, who conveyed the development to the public, said the fund would strengthen the operational preparedness of the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and support critical national public health emergency response activities.

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To be chaired by Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff (CoS) to the President, the committee with membership drawn from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and state representatives is also expected to get briefings on their plans to contain the disease.

Onanuga, stated that Tinubu also specifically directed all states hosting international airports and international border corridors, as well as relevant MDAs, to submit their plans, funding requirements and intervention needs for consideration and coordinated implementation.

Stating that the President’s move followed a stakeholder meeting convened under the CoS to review Nigeria’s preparedness and develop strategies against the possible importation of Ebola into the country., the statement informed that the Task Force would also intensify passenger screening at all international airports through enhanced temperature checks and crowd-control protocols.

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Other measures would also include enhanced monitoring of passengers arriving through high-risk airline routes, including Air Uganda, Rwanda Air, Air Tanzania, Air Angola, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines; and the immediate activation of referral and isolation centres at the Lagos and Abuja international airports, with other airports to follow.

Other measures include the mandatory activation of QR code-based pre-arrival health declaration systems for passengers originating from or transiting through designated high-risk countries, as well as the disinfection of departure halls, cargoes, baggage areas and airport facilities as precautionary environmental measures.

The President also directed the advisory group to consult with security, diplomatic and aviation bodies on regulating flights from affected and designated high-risk countries and mandated the task force to designate specific airports or terminals for high-risk flights to enable controlled screening and isolation procedures, and to consider adjusting flight schedules to minimise interaction between high-risk passengers and other travellers.

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Justice Akintoye Aluko of the Federal High Court, Lagos on Tuesday ordered the remand of Paul Jibrin Oweleke in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) over alleged cybercrime offences linked to social media broadcasts that allegedly called for overthrow of President Bola Tinubu.

Specifically, Oweleke, in a two-count charge was accused of publishing posts on his online platform known as “Oweleke TV”, urging the Nigerian military to remove the President from office in a manner similar to takeovers in some West African countries, an act the agency said bordered on incitement and the use of a computer system to disseminate content considered prejudicial to national security and constitutional governance.

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Oweleke’s broadcasts, the agency stressed, were capable of inciting public disorder and promoting disaffection against the government, which will undermine the country’s democracy.

Legal argument had ensued immediately after Oweleke, pleaded not guilty to the charges, with his lawyer kicking vehemently against the prayer of the agency that the court should order his remand pending the commencement of trial, on the ground that a bail application had already been filed and served on the prosecution.

But Aluko, who was persuaded to grant the prayer, went with the DSS, while adjourning the matter to June 16 for the hearing of the bail application, stating that Oweleke, would remain in the facility of the agency pending the outcome.

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