This archive report was first published on 12 September 2019.
On September 11, 2019, a flight carrying 189 Nigerians landed in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital, marking the beginning of the repatriation process.
Among the returnees was Samson Aliyu, a clothes seller who lived in South Africa for two years. He recounted his harrowing experience, saying, "I ran for my life, they would have killed me. They burnt my shop, everything."
Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Nigeria's minister for diaspora affairs, was on hand to welcome the returnees. She expressed frustration with the South African authorities, who she said had delayed the repatriation process by five hours.
"There was a lot of frustration in getting them back home but we're glad that they will be here," Dabiri-Erewa said, adding that the government would provide financial support to the returnees.
More than 600 Nigerians are expected to return from South Africa this week, according to the Nigerian government.
