The Federal Government has announced that the fifth and final evacuation flight carrying stranded Nigerians from South Africa is expected to arrive in Lagos on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
The Punch reported that the update was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa.
According to the ministry, the Air Peace-operated flight will leave Johannesburg at 1:30 a.m. and is scheduled to land at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, at approximately 6:30 a.m.
“The last and fifth evacuation flight from South Africa operated by AirPeace is expected to depart Johannesburg with 315 returnees on Wednesday 15th July 2026 at 1.30am and the estimated time of arrival at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos is 6.30am,” Ebienfa stated in a terse statement.
The exercise is aimed at repatriating Nigerians who volunteered to return home following recent xenophobic attacks and growing security concerns in parts of South Africa.
The ministry noted that four previous evacuation flights had already returned 1,141 Nigerians to the country since the operation began on June 11, 2026.
In addition, 66 Nigerians were earlier evacuated through the intervention of a private individual, while another 39 returned on an Air Peace flight arranged separately.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to safeguarding the welfare of Nigerians abroad and commended all stakeholders who contributed to the successful evacuation exercise.
