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Nigeria’s foreign ministry says 1,926 Nigerians have been repatriated from South Africa since June, following another flight carrying 105 people to Lagos. Reuters reported the ministry’s update on Tuesday, October 6.
The latest group arrived on Friday, October 2. The arrival date and the date of the public update are different; this was not a newly arrived October 7 flight.
Reuters attributed the total to ministry spokesperson Oluwafemi Adeniyi and said the evacuation exercise remained underway, with further travellers undergoing verification and clearance.
The wider consular concern
A separate, directly reviewed ministry statement dated September 30 condemned reported deaths of three Nigerian nationals in South Africa in incidents between September 18 and 21. It called for investigations and urged Nigerians to maintain contact with the High Commission in Pretoria and Consulate General in Johannesburg.
That statement contains allegations and reported accounts of separate incidents. It does not establish court findings, and it should not be read as showing that every returnee experienced the same circumstances.
What the total means
Explanation: A cumulative returnee count describes the scale of a programme over time. It does not measure the number currently awaiting departure or the entire Nigerian population in South Africa. Those would require different data.
The latest flight is part of an ongoing consular response. The reporting reviewed does not establish a final completion date, the number still awaiting clearance or the outcomes of investigations into the reported deaths.
Information families can rely on
For families trying to confirm an individual’s status, a national aggregate cannot substitute for direct information from the person concerned or the responsible diplomatic mission. Readers should use official mission channels rather than assume that a viral passenger list or proposed flight date is authentic.
Swifte Radio will follow verified updates on both the evacuation programme and official responses to safety concerns. Future reports will keep arrival dates, announcement dates and cumulative totals distinct.
Sources: Reuters, October 6 ministry update; Nigeria Ministry of Foreign Affairs, September 30 statement. Reviewed October 7, 2026.
Image credit: Illustrative airport-terminal stock photograph by Nick Fewings / Unsplash; not a photograph of the returnees or evacuation flight.
