First group of Nigerians returns home after anti-immigration protests in South Africa

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — The first group of Nigerians returned home from South Africa on Thursday as part of repatriation ordered by the government following violent anti-immigration protests.

A total of 262 passengers and three officials were on board the flight to Lagos, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Since April, a series of anti-immigration protests have shaken South Africa, highlight tensions between foreign workers and locals who claim foreigners are taking their jobs. South African officials have condemned the protests as xenophobic acts.

The Nigerian Foreign Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the president ordered the “evacuation of imperiled Nigerian citizens who consider their lives at risk by continued stay in South Africa.”