A plane carrying the second batch of Nigerians fleeing xenophobic attacks in South Africa has landed in Lagos. The 300 Nigerians are among the 600 who said yes to the call to return home following the spats of attack in which Nigerians and other foreigners were targeted in several South Africa cities.
They had been due to leave Johannesburg airport on Tuesday, but their departure was delayed until the South African government granted a permit for their airplane.
Returners Tell Stories of Their Ordeal
Many of the returnees told different stories of their distressing experience in South Africa. Their ordeals had a common theme of violence, trauma and large scale of loss between them.
Lucky Ekente told reporters in Lagos of how his club was set ablaze and everything he had looted by angry mobs, leaving him without a pea to return home with.
But he was also happy for returning safely to Nigeria and thanked the owners of Air Peace — the airline organizing the evacuations.
Why are African Foreigners Evacuating South Africa?
On 1 September 2019 riots and looting targeting shops and other small scale businesses owned by African foreigners broke out in Jeppestown and Johannesburg. Those who took part in the bloody unrest validated their actions by claiming that foreigners were making life difficult for the South African people by competing and taking the jobs meant for them.
The feud has since led to threats of reprisal attacks on South Africans living in affected countries. There have also been a series of diplomatic and dignitary alternations between government and celebrity figures.
