Nigerian airline, Air Peace have voluntereed to give Nigerians, who want to travel back from South Africa free flights as from Friday tomorrow, September 6th.

This follows after Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s government on Tuesday summoned South Africa’s envoy and said it would dispatch a delegation to Pretoria to express “deep concern” over attacks on Nigerians in a wave of xenophobic violence.

The decision came after mobs descended on business hubs and townships in various parts of South Africa, looting dozens of shops and torching trucks driven by foreigners in an outburst of anti-migrant anger.

The Nigerian news site, Punch, quotes the Airline’s Chief Operating Officer, Mrs Oluwatoyin Olajide, in a letter addressed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, on Wednesday, urging the Federal Government to facilitate the rescue of stranded Nigerians in South Africa.

Olajide described the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa as an unfortunate event.

She said, “We cannot fold our hands and watch our fellow Nigerians being killed by South Africans.

“To this end, Air Peace is willing to support the Nigerian government‘s effort in this matter by deploying our B777 aircraft immediately to South Africa to evacuate Nigerians back home.”

She said the Federal Government should ask the Nigerian Embassy and the South African Government to rescue stranded Nigerians by transporting them to the airport to enable the airline to evacuate them back to Nigeria.

The Chairman of the airline, Mr Allen Onyema, while sympathising with the Nigerian victims’ families who lost their lives and properties in the attacks, said Air Peace decided to bring back Nigerians in support of the action already taken by the Federal Government.

Onyeama was said to have welcomed the offer and said it would be a relief to the government and Nigerians who might be stranded in South Africa.

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