The Federal Government has concluded arrangements to evacuate another 700 stranded Nigerians from South Africa over the next few days, as Abuja intensifies efforts to rescue citizens caught in the aftermath of renewed xenophobic attacks in Africa’s most industrialised economy.

It, however, dismissed allegations that Nigerian officials demanded money from citizens seeking evacuation from South Africa, insisting that all special repatriation flights arranged for those fleeing xenophobic attacks were fully funded by the government.

The latest evacuation will bring the total number of Nigerians repatriated under the ongoing emergency operation to nearly 1,300, making it one of Nigeria’s largest government-led rescue missions from South Africa in recent years.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed yesterday that three additional special evacuation flights had been scheduled to return Nigerians who voluntarily registered for evacuation following the violence.

According to the ministry, the first of the remaining flights will arrive at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport at about 5.30 am on Friday, carrying 271 returnees. It added the exercise, following the successful evacuation of 593 Nigerians in three batches.

It explained that the first batch of 258 returnees arrived aboard a special Air Peace flight on June 11 and was received by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye, before being handed over to relevant government agencies for documentation and profiling.

Following logistical challenges that delayed the second evacuation flight, some stranded Nigerians were temporarily sheltered at the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria.

The ministry disclosed that a Nigerian philanthropist volunteered to pay the airfares of 66 stranded compatriots, who returned to Lagos aboard a South African Airways flight on June 24. A second government-arranged evacuation flight subsequently landed on June 30 with 269 returnees, bringing the total number evacuated so far to 593.

ON the bribery allegation, the government maintained that the evacuation was carried out at no cost to the returnees.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement yesterday by its spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, clarified that reports that officials of the Nigerian Mission in South Africa demanded money before registering Nigerians for evacuation were false and should be disregarded.

According to the ministry, the clarification became necessary following what it described as insinuations and false allegations surrounding the evacuation.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to place on record that all the special evacuation flights are fully paid for by the Federal Government and at no cost to the returnees,” the statement said. “This clarification is necessitated by insinuations and false allegations that some staff of the Nigerian Mission were requesting money before enlisting our nationals for the evacuation flights. That is totally false, fake news, and should be discarded.”