Chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission Abike Dabiri-Erewa has said the 258 Nigerians recently evacuated from South Africa committed no crime, insisting that they were targeted because they are black immigrants.
Mrs Dabiri-Erewa made the statement on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television while speaking about the return of the first batch of evacuees to Nigeria.
According to her, the returnees were not involved in any criminal activity during their stay in South Africa.
“Those 258 that came in, none of them committed any crime. The only crime they committed was the colour of their skin. They are black migrants in South Africa,” she said.
She said the Federal Government, led by President Bola Tinubu, worked to ensure their return to Nigeria.
Dabiri-Erewa also disclosed that telecommunications company MTN Nigeria provided financial support for the returnees, giving each person N100,000 as well as N50,000 airtime.
She said attention has now shifted to reintegrating the evacuees and called on state governors to support citizens from their states.
The NiDCOM boss cited Hope Uzodinma as an example, saying he gave N1 million each to returnees from Imo State.
Speaking further, Dabiri-Erewa criticised the treatment of Nigerians in South Africa, saying migrant families faced discrimination and segregation.
“If one person commits a crime, get that person and deal with that person. You cannot generalise, and their government is looking the other way,” she said.
She added that diplomatic talks between Nigeria and South Africa are ongoing, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continuing engagement with South African authorities.
According to Abike Dabiri-Erewa, more Nigerians are expected to return in additional batches in the coming days.
The first batch of evacuees arrived at Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Wednesday.
Some of the returnees said they faced discrimination and degrading treatment during their stay, with one saying migrants were treated “like slaves” and families were separated.
The incident has again raised concerns over attacks on migrants in South Africa, where foreign nationals from countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique have faced repeated cases of xenophobia in recent years.
