Nigerian Returnees from South Africa Share Tales of Xenophobic Ordeal

A group of Nigerians who were evacuated from South Africa have shared their experiences of alleged harassment and intimidation in the country. The returnees, who arrived in Lagos aboard an Air Peace aircraft from Johannesburg, recounted the challenges they faced in South Africa. One of the returnees, Henry, stated that he went through a lot of difficulties with the authorities during document checks, which he described as frustrating and discriminatory. He said, 'I went through a lot. Because when they come to you, they will ask you, your papers, even when you show your papers, they still find something.' Henry added that the experience left him with no option but to return to Nigeria, saying he would rather start afresh at home. Another returnee, Emilia Godwin, alleged that Nigerians were routinely mistreated in South Africa, claiming they were subjected to violence and humiliation. She said, 'They are wicked. They are wicked and wicked. They don’t like us. They make jests of you, they pull you. They beat you. We are like slaves, we don’t have mouth to talk.' Godwin said she had lived in South Africa since 2014 but decided to leave after years of what she described as worsening conditions for foreigners. The returnees' accounts come amid renewed concerns over xenophobic violence in South Africa, which has in the past triggered diplomatic tensions across the continent and repeated calls for stronger protection of African migrants. The evacuation comes amid concerns raised by the Federal Government over alleged harassment of Nigerians in South Africa. Authorities have previously warned that retaliatory diplomatic measures were not off the table, even as evacuation plans were being finalised to bring willing citizens home.