Air Peace successfully completes the Federal Government’s emergency evacuation mission, safely returning the final batch of 308 stranded citizens from South Africa back to Lagos.
Air Peace has successfully concluded the Federal Government’s coordinated humanitarian evacuation mission from South Africa, safely returning the final batch of 308 Nigerian citizens aboard its wide-body Boeing 777-200 aircraft.
According to an official statement released on Wednesday in Lagos by Air Peace spokesperson, Mr. Efe Osifo-Whiskey, the safe arrival of the final flight brings the total number of repatriated citizens to 1,393 across five meticulously planned emergency airlifts. The final aircraft touched down at the Cargo and Hajj Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, marking the formal completion of the massive joint operation.
This complex emergency flight program represents a monumental milestone in Nigeria’s reactive diplomatic policy and humanitarian response to the volatile security challenges that had directly threatened the safety and livelihoods of Nigerians living in South Africa.
Osifo-Whiskey emphasized that the seamless completion of the mission highlights the vital importance of robust public-private sector partnerships in protecting the basic welfare and safety of citizens living abroad.
Throughout the emergency response effort, Air Peace dedicated its high-capacity aircraft to shuttle between the countries, bringing dispersed families back together, restoring hope to individuals displaced by systemic social unrest, and reinforcing the message that the Nigerian government remains dedicated to protecting its diaspora.
The returning citizens were formally received on behalf of the state by the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Dr. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, alongside senior officials from the Nigerian Immigration Service.
Dabiri-Erewa expressed her deepest sympathies to the returnees over the severe emotional and financial hardships they experienced during the peak of the foreign crisis, conveying President Bola Tinubu’s personal assurances of continuous government support. She affirmed the administration’s active commitment to facilitating the smooth societal reintegration and physical welfare of the returnees, while commending the selflessness of Air Peace Chairman, Dr. Allen Onyema, whose airline has now completed over twenty distinct humanitarian and evacuation missions across Africa and beyond since its inception.
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