Almost 200 Nigerian
migrants were repatriated from South Africa on Wednesday following a wave of
xenophobic violence that swept through the country and sparked sharp exchanges
between the two countries.
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| A man, among a first group of Nigerians repatriated from South Africa following xenophobic violence, sits with others after arriving in Lagos, on September 11, 2019 |
A flight
carrying 189 Nigerians landed in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos, with some
of those onboard punching the air and singing their national anthem while
waving pictures of burnt shops.
"I ran
for my life, they would have killed me," said Samson Aliyu, a clothes
seller who lived in South Africa for two years.
"They
burnt my shop, everything," he added.
More than
600 Nigerians are expected to return from South Africa this week, the Nigerian
government has said.
"We
were expecting 317 but from the information we have 189 are on board,"
said Nigeria's minister for diaspora affairs Abike Dabiri-Erewa.
"There
was about a five hour delay courtesy of the South African authorities who
actually frustrated this return of Nigerians," she said, blaming
authorities in Johannesburg for failing to help Nigerians without travel
documents.
"There
was a lot of frustration in getting them back home but we're glad that they
will be here," she added.
Leading the
returnees in singing the national anthem, Dabiri-Erewa promised the government
would provide financial support.
Johannesburg
and surrounding areas were rocked by a series of deadly attacks on foreigners
last week, including many directed against Nigerian-owned businesses and
properties.
At least 10
people were killed in the violence and hundreds of shops destroyed while more
than 420 people were arrested.
No Nigerians
were killed but the violence led to condemnation across Africa, particularly in
Nigeria, fuelling diplomatic tensions between the continent's two leading
nations.
The
violence also prompted reprisal attacks against South African firms in Nigeria
and the temporary closing of South Africa's diplomatic missions in Lagos and
Abuja. - AFP
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