The Federal Government has promised to evacuate over 742 Nigerians from South Africa before June 30, amid ongoing anti-migrant attacks in the country.

Foreign Affairs Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu gave the assurance in a statement on Thursday. She said President Bola Tinubu had directed that all citizens who voluntarily want to return should be assisted without delay.

The first batch of 258 Nigerians was airlifted and received by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sola Enikanolaiye at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, on June 11.

About 1,000 Nigerians had registered for evacuation, the minister said. Arrangements are being concluded to bring home the remaining citizens before the deadline.

The minister said the president is concerned about reports of discrimination and attacks against Nigerians and other African migrants in South Africa.

Nigeria is continuing to engage South African authorities through diplomatic channels while exploring other lawful options, Odumegwu-Ojukwu said. Any further action will be taken in line with constitutional provisions and due legislative process.

"When it comes to situations like this, of course, it's necessary to be temperate and exercise caution. But when your citizens are being harassed, when your citizens are people who have spent years there, and mind you, some of them are married to South Africans and have children who have known no other home but South Africa, then it becomes a serious concern," the minister said.

She also highlighted the unequal treatment of Nigerians despite the significant presence of South African businesses in Nigeria.

"As I indicated before, there are these huge conglomerates. By the way, there are over 120 South African companies operating in Nigeria. Nobody is asking them to provide proof of identity. Nobody is asking South African staff working there whether they're South Africans or Nigerians, and nobody is taking over their shops or businesses. But this is happening to Nigerians in South Africa. So, I think that at some point, we really have to review the options available to us," she said.

She listed brands like MTN, MultiChoice, Stanbic, and Protea as South African companies with a strong presence in Nigeria.

The minister said anti-migrant vigilante groups have damaged South Africa's image. She recalled that Nelson Mandela worked hard to project South Africa as a bastion of pan-Africanism.

"And in one fell swoop, these anti-migrant vigilante groups have destroyed what this man sacrificed 28 years in prison for. So, it's causing reputational damage. Even within South Africa itself, people are cancelling concerts, and conferences are being called off. South Africa has been stained with the stigma of being a xenophobic country," she said.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu revealed that South African authorities had declined to activate a Memorandum of Understanding signed with Nigeria in October 2025 on an early warning mechanism to protect citizens during periods of tension. South Africa later argued that those who signed the agreement on its behalf lacked authority to make it binding.

Other African countries, including Ghana, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, have also begun evacuating their nationals from South Africa as concerns grow.

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