FG Shall Never Succumb To Terror, Any Form Of Criminal Intimidation

He appealed to young Nigerians not to allow themselves to be used for thuggery, political violence, misinformation campaigns, ethnic abuse or religious intolerance.

A total of 258 Nigerians arrived in Lagos aboard an Air Peace flight and were received by government officials, including the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye.

According to the government, the evacuation was undertaken to protect Nigerians facing threats, harassment and violence.

The returnees are expected to undergo documentation, medical screening and temporary accommodation before being reunited with their families.

Only Crime Was Skin Colour’

Dabiri-Erewa rejected claims that the affected Nigerians had committed crimes in South Africa, arguing that they were targeted simply because they were black migrants.

“Those 258 that came in, none of them committed any crime. The only crime they committed was the colour of their skin; they are black migrants in South Africa.

“If one person commits a crime, get that person and deal with that person. You cannot generalise, and their government is looking the other way, and that is the sad part,” she stated.

Despite the evacuation, the NiDCOM boss stressed that bringing Nigerians home is not a long-term solution, noting that diplomatic engagement between both countries remains ongoing.

“Our diplomatic engagement is still going on. Diplomacy is always about having a conversation. The Minister of Foreign Affairs is still engaging her counterparts, and I’m sure the two presidents will be talking more about this. We are glad this first batch is home, and we are going to have, I think, three to five batches,” she said.