FG, evacuees slam South Africa over xenophobia, documentation claims
The Federal Government and Nigerian evacuees from South Africa have faulted claims by the South African authorities that many of those repatriated lacked proper documentation, insisting Pretoria frustrated efforts to renew their papers. Some returnees accused the South African government of deliberately delaying or denying renewal of work permits and other legal documents to create grounds to label them undocumented and justify a clampdown. The first batch of over 200 Nigerians fleeing renewed xenophobic attacks arrived in Lagos aboard an Air Peace flight fully funded by the Federal Government, with officials from NEMA, Immigration, NiDCOM and FAAN on ground for profiling and support. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, more than 1,000 Nigerians have been screened and cleared for evacuation after a citizen‑led group in South Africa ordered all undocumented foreign nationals to leave by June 30, heightening fears […]