As Rafiu Wasiu disembarked from the aircraft at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Thursday, his face reflected a mix of emotions. While he was relieved to be back home, he appeared downcast by the circumstances that forced his return.
Wasiu, a mechanic who spent years working in South Africa, was among 268 Nigerians who arrived the country aboard a government-facilitated evacuation flight. They returned not as visitors, but as people who had fled what they described as escalating xenophobic attacks, intimidation and economic exclusion.
The returnees, many of whom had lived in South Africa for years, came back with stories of fear, loss and abrupt displacement. Several said they left behind businesses built over time, while others abandoned families, homes and investments. For many, the decision to return was not voluntary, but driven by what they described as rising hostility and insecurity.
“They treated us like animals”
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