Group Carpets S’Africa for Attempting to Stop Nigerians from Returning Home

A leading Non-Governmental Organisation, African Diaspora Coalition for Unity and Progress (ADCUP), has condemned the action of the South African Government that disallowed several Nigerians willing to return home from South Africa from boarding the Air Peace flight sent to the former apartheid enclave.

This was contained in a press statement issued in Lagos by the Executive Secretary of the organisation, Chris Kehinde Nwandu.

According to ADCUP, the South African government has by its action contravened the objectives of the African Union and the African Protocols on the movement of people .

The group said it was saddening enough that the South African government closed a blind eye to the continued attacks of Africans by its citizens in the past few months, which led to the death of several fellow black brothers and sisters in what has been described as the most vicious xenophobic attacks in modern history.

“Disallowing willing Nigerians from leaving their country on the flimsy excuse of not having relevant papers is adding more salt to an already bruised injury. The organisation therefore enjoins all Nigerians still held up in the country be allowed to go home without any inhibition,” the group said.

It commended the efforts of the federal government, Air Peace, Nigerian Embassy in South Africa, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Nigerian Diaspora Commission towards making sure that Nigerians in South Africa did not get stranded .

The group recalled that only 187 out of over 300 Nigerians initially scheduled to be in the first batch of returnees were allowed by the South African government to board the Air Peace flight to Lagos

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