By Favour Ulebor

Eighty-three Nigerians have returned to the country from South Africa following a repatriation exercise facilitated by private individuals.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday night, saying the returnees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos aboard a South African Airways flight from Johannesburg.

The returnees were accompanied by two officials of the Consulate-General of Nigeria in Johannesburg.

According to the ministry, the flight tickets for the returnees were procured by good-spirited private individuals whose support enabled their safe return to Nigeria.

The returnees were received by the Director, African Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Haruna Ali-Gombe, on behalf of the Federal Government.

They were subsequently handed over to relevant government agencies for documentation and profiling ahead of their reunification with their families.

The ministry reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to the welfare and safe return of Nigerians abroad, while appreciating the Nigerian Mission in South Africa, the private sponsors and other agencies involved in the reception and reintegration process.