By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
A total of 105 Nigerians have been repatriated from South Africa under a humanitarian intervention funded by the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), marking the first batch of at least 500 Nigerians expected to return under the initiative.
The General Overseer of the RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, welcomed the returnees in a post on his X handle on Friday, 25 September, 2026, thanking God for their safe journey home.
“Welcome home beloved 105 citizens of Nigeria who have just safely arrived from South Africa,” he wrote.
The development followed the arrival of the first batch of Nigerians whose air transportation from Johannesburg to Lagos was funded by the RCCG, following an appeal from the Nigerian diplomatic mission in South Africa.
Adeboye disclosed that the church would continue to pray for the returnees while the government completes the processes required to reunite them with their families.
“We are grateful to God for helping us make your safe return possible. We shall continue to pray for you as the Government continues with what remains to ensure you reunite with your families. God bless you all,” he said.
The Chairman of the RCCG Task Force for the Reception of Nigerian Returnees from South Africa, Pastor Belemina Obunge, explained that Adeboye approved the funding for the returnees’ air transportation on humanitarian grounds.
He disclosed that the beneficiaries were Nigerians who had been profiled and documented by the Nigerian High Commission in South Africa and the South African Home Affairs authorities.
Obunge stressed that the returnees were not selected based on membership of the RCCG, noting that Nigerians of different faiths were included in the exercise.
“They are Muslims, Christians, all religions. And we are intentional in making sure that we have collaborated with the various government agencies,” he said.
He explained that while the RCCG funded the air transportation from Johannesburg to Lagos, government agencies were responsible for receiving the returnees and coordinating their onward movement.
Officials of the National Emergency Management Agency and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons were among those who received the returnees at the airport, after which profiling commenced.
Obunge disclosed that the returnees would be transported to their respective state capitals after the profiling exercise, adding that the repatriation would continue in batches due to ongoing documentation and clearance processes in South Africa.
He urged Nigerians still stranded in the country to approach the Nigerian diplomatic mission for assistance with their documentation.
