On Tuesday, 271 Nigerians returned home from South Africa aboard a government-arranged evacuation flight, escaping a fresh wave of xenophobic attacks that forced them to abandon their businesses, homes and decades of hard work. For many, the journey back to Nigeria was not one of triumph but of survival. In this report, YUSUF BABALOLA chronicles the harrowing experiences of the returnees, capturing their pain, resilience and desperate appeals for support as they begin the difficult task of starting life all over again.
When they left Nigeria for South Africa, they carried hopes of a better life, greater opportunities, and brighter futures for themselves and their families. Like many migrants, they believed that hard work and determination would secure the prosperity they could not find at home.
Instead, many of them have returned with little more than the clothes they could hurriedly pack into their suitcases.
For the 271 Nigerians repatriated from South Africa on Tuesday, 30 June 2026, the dream of a better life has given way to stories of loss, fear, shattered investments, and uncertain futures. Some abandoned thriving businesses and properties built over many years, while others fled with only their children, leaving behind almost everything they had worked for.
Now back in Nigeria, many say they have no investments, savings or means of livelihood to help them rebuild their lives. They insist their only hope lies in government support and the kindness of family members.
Among them is Mondeu Ganiyu, a Lagos indigene, whose greatest fear is facing his family after returning home empty-handed.
According to him, he has resolved to keep his return a secret and go into hiding because he has nothing to show for the years he spent abroad.
“We are not selling drugs. Are you telling me that we don’t have educated Nigerians in South Africa? We are hardworking, and that’s why they don’t like Nigerians. They keep saying Nigerians are very smart, very good, making money and driving big cars.
“Please, my brother, tell people at home in Nigeria that if they want to travel to another country, they should think twice and avoid South Africa. There are no jobs in South Africa. No jobs at all.”
“We are hardworking people. We know how to make money and set up businesses. I was a lecturer at Brooklyn College. Go and verify it. Can a lecturer be selling drugs?” he asked rhetorically.
Ganiyu argued that hardworking Nigerians have become victims of envy and hostility, insisting that the widespread allegation that Nigerians are involved in drug trafficking is both unfair and misleading.
He also urged the Nigerian government to adopt a tougher stance against South African businesses operating in Nigeria, arguing that Nigerians deserve reciprocal treatment.
“We also advise our government to stop South African companies from doing business in Nigeria with ease. The jealousy towards Nigerians is too much. Many Nigerians are still at the Nigerian Embassy, waiting for an opportunity to return home.”
“I had a very bad experience over there. You cannot save money in South Africa. You work hard, thinking you will save, but it is impossible. Do you know how much we pay for rent? You pay for water, electricity, and everything else. How, then, do you save money?”
He further alleged that some Nigerians had been victims of crime, saying that fear had become a constant companion for many foreigners.
“For Nigerian girls, when they discover you have property, some of them can poison you by mixing ground bottles into food. My brother, please don’t go to South Africa. Many people have spent decades there and have nothing to bring home. No house, nowhere to go.”
“Like me, I cannot even go home. I need to hide somewhere because I have nothing to show for all those years.”
“Look at Imo State; they are giving their indigenes one million naira. Lagos State should emulate that. Edo State officials are here to receive their people, but where are Lagos officials?”
For Ganiyu, any financial assistance the government provides is his only opportunity to rebuild his life.
My seven-year sojourn in S’Africa ended in disappointment – Okeke
Another returnee, John Okeke, said that seven years of hard work in South Africa ended in disappointment, leaving him with nothing but painful memories.
According to the Anambra State indigene, foreigners, particularly Nigerians, live in constant fear of attack despite holding valid immigration documents.
“Recently, they beat a Nigerian with sticks until he died. Even at the Nigerian Embassy, one man was robbed, and nobody could do anything. Police officers were present, yet they could not intervene.”
“I am grateful to have returned alive. I left Nigeria in February 2019 and spent seven years in South Africa. Those seven years were wasted, as I returned with nothing but my life,” he stated.
Okeke said attacks on foreigners have become increasingly common, with businesses looted and property destroyed.
“People are dying there. They loot Nigerians’ shops and businesses. As long as you are a foreigner, they don’t care whether you have immigration papers. They say Nigerians are taking their jobs, their women and their businesses. But when they employ some of their own people, many work for only a week before quitting to drink alcohol. After that, they start looking for another job again.
“Nigerians are not taking anybody’s jobs. There are hardly any jobs there. Most Nigerians create businesses for themselves.”
He described the high cost of living as another major challenge confronting migrants.
“Life there is very tough. You work, receive your salary, and almost everything goes into rent and food. Unlike in Nigeria, where rent is paid annually, in South Africa it is paid monthly. The amount you pay monthly there is equivalent to what many people pay for a year or more here. I had a terrible experience,” he lamented.
Asked whether he would consider returning to South Africa if conditions improved, Okeke was emphatic.
‘I will never return to South Africa’
“Never. I cannot return. Too much has happened there. Nigerians are treated like animals. They don’t value us. I left my job, my belongings and my properties because it was an emergency evacuation. I abandoned everything to save my life.”
“You cannot sleep with your two eyes closed. Even while sleeping, you are watching your windows because they can attack you inside your own house, and even your landlord cannot protect you.”
Despite the losses, Okeke said he remains thankful to have returned alive.
“I am very happy to be back home because there is no place like home. Starting all over again may be difficult, but with time, things will get better.”
I can’t go home, my father’s house isn’t in good condition in Nigeria’
For Timothy Olabode, returning to Nigeria marked the end of a 15-year chapter built on hard work, craftsmanship and perseverance.
The 45-year-old Lagos indigene, who earned a living as a shoemaker and leather craftsman in South Africa, said leaving behind virtually everything he owned was one of the most painful decisions of his life.
Unable to dispose of his property before fleeing, Olabode said he entrusted a South African acquaintance with the responsibility of selling it on his behalf, hoping the proceeds would provide the capital he needed to rebuild his life in Nigeria.
“I have property. I spent 15 years in South Africa. I’m 45 years old. I can’t stay there anymore, but I plead with them to return my property. Even though I have given it to someone to help me sell it, half bread is better than none.
He continued, “I don’t want to travel anymore. The people I gave my property to sell for me are people I trust. At least if they sell it, they should take their commission and send me the balance. I can use the money to invest here in Nigeria.”
According to him, many Nigerians in South Africa are law-abiding and earn a living through legitimate businesses rather than crime.
“I make bags. I make shoes. I repair shoes. I make sandals. Nigerians are not drug dealers. We are genuine people, but we struggle to get legal papers.
“For instance, an agent will promise to help process your documents, collect your money and later tell you it cannot be done. The experience over there is pathetic. It is not something you would wish even on your enemy.”
He also spoke about the fears confronting Nigerians married to South Africans, saying mixed-nationality families have not been spared from the tension.
“If you are married to a South African, your wife has to stay with you. If she doesn’t, you are left alone. They might kill you, and the government won’t say anything.”
Having returned home with virtually nothing, Olabode said he now intends to settle permanently in Nigeria and rebuild his life from scratch.
“I will see what to do from next year and how to restart my life. I am supposed to call my family to pick me up, but I cannot stay at my father’s house because it is not in good condition.
“Even though I was never attacked personally, I could not continue to risk my life because I didn’t know when the attacks would get to me. That is why I returned home,’’ he said.
When asked when he relocated to South Africa, he replied that he arrived in 2013.
‘S’Africans barred us from using public transport’
Like many others on the evacuation flight, Michael Adex Eduabon said the decision to abandon three decades of investments in South Africa was one of the most difficult moments of his life.
The Edo State indigene returned to Nigeria with only his wife and two children, leaving behind businesses and assets worth millions of rands.
According to him, saving his family’s lives became more important than safeguarding years of investment.
“This latest xenophobic attack was very severe. We saw people losing their lives, their property, their homes, furniture and businesses. Some people were even evicted from their houses. They told us we could no longer use public transport.”
Eduabon said he had built a successful career in South Africa, running businesses while mentoring young South Africans.
“I own cosmetic and hair salon businesses. I also mentor students at a college in South Africa, free of charge, under a government programme. I have mentored eight students, and they are now graduates. I have obeyed the law. I have paid my taxes. Yet we were still attacked.”
“It is never easy to leave when you have a family and have spent years building a business. You cannot even sell your property because no one is willing to buy it. Financially, we became trapped.”
He said he only decided to leave after the Nigerian Government arranged an evacuation flight.
“It was when President Bola Tinubu arranged the evacuation flight that we decided to seize the opportunity to save our lives. We are grateful to the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria, which accommodated us for almost two weeks before our departure.”
Eduabon expressed appreciation to the Federal Government, the Nigerian High Commission and the Edo State Government for facilitating their safe return.
“We thank the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Governor of Edo State, and all Nigerians for supporting and welcoming us home.”
“They have shown the world that Nigerian citizens are not abandoned, wherever they may be. We thank God for a government that responded to our plight. We now appeal to the government to help us get back on our feet and rebuild our lives.”
Asked about the investments he left behind, Eduabon said the losses were enormous.
“I lost everything. My cosmetics business alone is worth more than R3 million. I have nothing left in Nigeria. Nothing. With government support, I am ready to start again.”
Beyond financial assistance, many of the returnees believe their experience should serve as a cautionary tale for Nigerians considering migration without adequate preparation or realistic expectations.
Despite the trauma, fear and financial losses they endured, one sentiment echoed through nearly every conversation: relief at being back on Nigerian soil.
