VIDEO: Nigerians seek refuge at embassy in South Africa over fears of anti-immigrant protest

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Some Nigerians in South Africa have sought refuge at the Nigerian High Commission over fears of possible xenophobic attacks, with several saying they remain stranded despite ongoing evacuation efforts by the Federal Government.

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The development was captured in a video shared by News Central on Monday, showing dozens of Nigerians, gathered at the embassy as uncertainty surrounded the latest evacuation exercise.

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According to the report, only those contacted by the embassy were scheduled to leave for Nigeria on Monday night, while many others who turned up at the mission remained stranded.

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Women and children were reportedly given priority to stay within the embassy premises overnight as officials considered arrangements for the remaining evacuees.

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One of the stranded Nigerians expressed optimism that more citizens would be evacuated later in the week.

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“By God’s grace, I think the Nigerian government, they are trying to make plans for the citizens of Nigeria, maybe Wednesday or Friday,” the returnee said.

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While acknowledging that a second batch had departed, the individual added that there had been “a lot of improvement” in the evacuation process and expressed hope that those left behind would soon be accommodated.

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Explaining why many Nigerians had gathered at the embassy despite not being scheduled to travel, the evacuee said they feared a possible outbreak of violence linked to planned anti-immigrant demonstrations.

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“Because of the rumour we are hearing that there will be a crisis tomorrow… we are here to just take safety. We don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow, so we are in the Nigerian embassy for safety,” he said.

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Another individual at the embassy said many of those gathered had fled their homes after becoming fearful of the planned protests.

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“When you’ve been chased and when you’re afraid, the next thing you could do is to run to your father’s house,” the person said, adding that those outside the embassy were “stranded Nigerians that are unsafe within their immediate vicinity because of the planned march for tomorrow.”

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He appealed to Nigerian authorities to put contingency measures in place for citizens unable to leave immediately, saying, “The request we are making to the authorities here is that what are the plans, what are the contingency plans for the Nigerians that are seen outside here for their safety, for their refuge?”

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The gathering comes as the Federal Government confirmed that another Air Peace evacuationevacuation flight departed Nigeria on Monday.n

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The evacuation exercise follows growing concerns over planned anti-immigrant protests expected to begin on June 30.

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The Federal Government had earlier approved five Air Peace evacuation flights to facilitate the voluntary return of Nigerians willing to leave South Africa.

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Before the latest operation, 328 Nigerians had been evacuated in two batches, while more than 700 others were reported to remain stranded amid concerns over bureaucratic delays and rising fears of xenophobic attacks.

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Watch video here:

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𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎: 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐢-𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭

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Some Nigerians in South Africa have sought refuge at the Nigerian High Commission over fears of possible…

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n June 29, 2026n

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