News
Over 750 Nigerians stranded in South Africa as June 30 deadline approaches
As the June 30 deadline handed down to foreigner to leave South Africa by rampaging anti-immigrant brigands, thousands of Nigeria’s are said to be stranded in the country even though they are ready to leave if the government provides badly needed intervention.
The desperate situation was revealed by the Nigerian Citizens Association South Africa (NICASA) which said hundreds of people who have indicated interest in returning to Nigeria as a result of the current xenophobic attacks are facing untold hardship over delayed flights.
The Federal Government had, on June 7, 2026, promised to deploy five chartered evacuation flights via Air Peace to repatriate Nigerians back home from South Africa.
However, only one flight has taken off so far, arriving in Lagos last week Thursday with 258 returnees from over 1,000 said to have indicated their interest in returning home.
In a statement signed by Frank Onyekwelu, the National President of NICASA the association said, “Hundreds of Nigerians who responded to the Federal Government’s evacuation programme have endured untold hardship following delays in the scheduled repatriation flights.
“Many of these citizens travelled from distant provinces across South Africa after being instructed to report for registration and screening. Today, numerous families, including women and children, are stranded without shelter, food, transportation, or financial means to sustain themselves.
“The situation has become increasingly distressing as some of our nationals have been left sleeping in difficult conditions, uncertain of when they will return home.
“Several have exhausted their limited resources after travelling long distances in good faith, believing that arrangements had been adequately concluded for their departure,” the body lamented.
NICASA, therefore, “makes an urgent and passionate appeal to the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, the National Assembly, particularly the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Matters, to immediately intervene in the worsening humanitarian situation facing stranded Nigerian nationals awaiting voluntary repatriation from South Africa.”
It called on the Federal Government to immediately intervene and expedite the completion of the repatriation programme. It also demanded the deployment of emergency resources and the establishment of a humanitarian support mechanism for stranded Nigerians pending their departure. “Relevant government agencies to urgently facilitate the remaining four evacuation flights so that all registered citizens can be safely returned home without further delay.
“The Nigerian High Commission in South Africa to improve communication, provide temporary welfare support, and engage constructively with community leadership structures to address the immediate needs of affected citizens,” the association said.
The Enugu State Government has suspended His Royal Majesty, Igwe Eze William Ezugwu, the traditional ruler of Ibagwa Ogbozalla Opi Autonomous Community, in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu state.
The state government accused Igwe Ezugwu of violating provisions of the state’s Traditional Rulers Law.
In a letter of suspension dated September 24, the Enugu State Government cited his alleged failure to constitute his cabinet, failure to establish a Town Union governing body, and persistent conduct deemed inconsistent with the laws governing traditional rulers in the state.
The suspension comes barely three weeks after Igwe William Ezugwu received NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi at his palace in Opi, Nsukka LGA, where he reportedly blessed Obi’s presidential ambition.
The Deputy Commander of Operation Rainbow, CSP (Chief Superintendent of Police) Dennis David Babale, has been killed after gunmen suspected to be Fulani Bandits ambushed personnel of the security outfit along the Bokkos-Barkin Ladi road in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.
Operation Rainbow is a State-backed community security and intelligence-gathering outfit in Plateau State, Nigeria, originally established in 2010 under former Governor Jonah Jang and recently revamped by Governor Caleb Mutfwang to combat rural violence and beef up grassroots security.
The incident reportedly occurred at about 4:06 p.m. on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 when the personnel, travelling in a Toyota Hilux vehicle, came under attack by unidentified gunmen.
Troops of Sector 4, Operation ENDURING PEACE (OPEP), responded to a distress report and moved to the location of the attack.
Sources told reporters that Babale sustained gunshot wounds during the ambush and was evacuated to the General Hospital, Barkin Ladi, for medical attention.
Following the attack, troops, working alongside personnel of other security agencies, launched offensive operations and a manhunt for the assailants within the general area.
Security forces have intensified efforts to track the attackers and prevent further attacks along the route.
Director General/CEO of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and Nigeria’s Permanent Representative at the World Meteorological Organization, Prof. Charles Anosike and other Chief Executive Officers of similar agencies across the world, have concluded a one week high level dialogue on Climate Science Information for Climate Finance and the 53rd Senior Official Field Exchange (SOFE) in Beijing, China.
The event which was hosted by World Meteorological Organization (WMO), took place from September 14 to 18, 2026 and featured discussions on: strengthening the role and leadership development of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in mobilizing climate finance; aligning scientific and technical capabilities with risk-informed, people-centred early warning systems; shifting from technical assistance to sustainable investments by expanding practical cooperation between meteorological frameworks and multilateral financing entities; and support to NMHSs leadership on strengthening strategic thinking and fostering productive partnerships.
Held back-to-back with the High-level dialogue was the 53rd Senior Official Field Exchange to Fujian Province for first-hand exposure to the implementation of Multi-hazard, Alert, Zero-gap and Universal (MAZU) platform – China’s AI-driven meteorological early warning solution in support of the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative and disaster risk reduction practices through technical exchanges, field visits and peer learning.
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