The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has completed the reception and coordination of the onward movement of 1,516 vulnerable Nigerian nationals voluntarily repatriated from the Republic of South Africa in a month-long exercise conducted between 11 June and 15 July 2026.
According to an official signed statement by the Head, Press Unit, NEMA, Manzo Ezekiel, the voluntary repatriation exercise was coordinated by the Federal Government through the combined efforts of NEMA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Port Health Services, security agencies and other relevant stakeholders, with support from MTN.
The statement said the returnees arrived in seven batches through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, aboard Air Peace and South African Airways flights.
It noted that the first batch of 258 returnees arrived on 11 June aboard Air Peace, followed by 66 returnees on 24 June via South African Airways. The third batch of 298 returnees arrived on 30 June, while the fourth batch of 266 returnees landed on 3 July aboard Air Peace.
According to the statement, the fifth batch comprising 284 returnees arrived on 9 July, followed by 39 returnees on 10 July via South African Airways. The seventh and final batch of 305 returnees arrived on 15 July, bringing the total number of Nigerians received during the exercise to 1,516.
NEMA said it played a central operational role throughout the exercise by coordinating the reception, documentation and processing of the returnees, as well as arrangements for their onward transportation to various destinations across the country in collaboration with partner agencies.
The Agency commended all stakeholders whose collaboration ensured the successful completion of the voluntary repatriation exercise.
The statement added that NEMA’s Lagos Operations Office, led by the Head of Operations on behalf of the Director General, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, supervised the Agency’s responsibilities throughout the operation, ensuring the smooth reception, processing and onward movement of the returnees.
NEMA reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with relevant stakeholders to provide coordinated humanitarian support during emergency evacuations, voluntary repatriation exercises and other humanitarian operations, in line with its statutory mandate of coordinating disaster management and humanitarian assistance in Nigeria.
