NIDCOM: No Evacuated Nigerian Committed Any Crime in South Africa

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has strongly refuted claims that Nigerians repatriated from South Africa were involved in criminal activities, insisting they were attacked solely because of their skin colour. NIDCOM Chairman/CEO, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, made the remarks while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, June 11, 2026. “I tell you something about those 258 that came in: none of them committed any crime. The only crime they committed is the colour of their skin; they are black migrants in South Africa,” she said. The comments came as the first batch of Nigerians around 258–268 people arrived in Lagos on an Air Peace flight facilitated by the Federal Government following a fresh wave of xenophobic attacks in South Africa. The evacuees were welcomed by officials from NEMA, NIS, NIDCOM, and other agencies. Dabiri-Erewa lamented the generalisation and scapegoating of black African migrants, adding that if any individual commits a crime, that person alone should be held accountable rather than targeting an entire nationality. She praised the seamless multi-agency effort that included support from MTN, private firms, and some state governments, and called on more states to support the reintegration of returnees as directed by President Bola Tinubu. The evacuation is part of ongoing efforts to safeguard Nigerians amid rising xenophobic violence, with over 1,000 citizens reportedly registered for possible repatriation.