Africa
FG, Evacuated Nigerians Challenge South Africa’s Documentation Claims Amid Xenophobia Row
Repatriated Nigerians accuse South African authorities of delaying permit renewals and reject claims they were undocumented, as FG vows swift action.
The Federal Government and Nigerians recently repatriated from South Africa have dismissed Pretoria’s assertion that all 268 returnees were residing illegally in the country, saying delays within South Africa’s Home Affairs system played a major role in their documentation issues.
South African immigration authorities had maintained that every Nigerian repatriated was undocumented and had imposed a five-year travel ban on them. However, Nigerian officials and the evacuees disputed the claim, arguing that many had applied for permit renewals but were left waiting for years without a response.
Nigeria’s Acting High Commissioner to Pretoria, Ambassador Temitope Ajayi, said the situation was largely caused by administrative backlogs rather than deliberate violations by the affected Nigerians.
“So, because of this delay, and the general problem in the system itself, it made many people become undocumented. So, it is false and totally misleading for a body of officials to mention, to put it in the news before we landed, that 268 Nigerians that came back were undocumented in South Africa,” he said.
Several returnees also alleged that both South African authorities and the Nigerian Mission in Pretoria contributed to their difficulties in obtaining or renewing valid documentation.
In response to the situation, the Federal Government pledged to strengthen diplomatic engagement with South Africa by activating the Binational Commission and Early Warning Mechanism aimed at protecting Nigerians and addressing future incidents more proactively.
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