Adeboye's RCCG Flies 100 Nigerians Home From South Africa, Plans 400 More Returnees
- The Redeemed Christian Church of God funded flights for the first batch of 100 Nigerians repatriated from South Africa on Thursday night
- Pastor Enoch Adeboye approved the funding after an appeal from the Nigerian diplomatic mission in South Africa, with at least 500 returnees expected in total
- NEMA and other federal agencies received the returnees at Lagos airport, where profiling began before onward movement to their home states
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Ikeja, Lagos State - One hundred Nigerians landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, on Thursday night, September 24, 2026, after the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) paid for their flights from Johannesburg as part of a broader plan to repatriate at least 500 Nigerians currently stranded in South Africa.
The group represents the first batch of a larger repatriation exercise initiated after the Nigerian diplomatic mission in South Africa reached out to the RCCG for help.
Source: Twitter
Officials from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons were at the airport to receive the returnees, and profiling began immediately upon arrival.
As reported by The Punch, a NEMA official confirmed that the returnees would be transported to their respective state capitals once the process was complete.
Adeboye approves funding after diplomatic appeal
Speaking to journalists ahead of the arrival, Pastor Belemina Obunge, who chairs the RCCG Task Force for the Reception of Nigerian Returnees from South Africa, said the church's General Overseer, Pastor E.A. Adeboye, personally approved the funding on humanitarian grounds.
"Moved by compassion for Nigerians who were required to return home from South Africa, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor E.A. Adeboye, approved the funding of the air transportation of 500 Nigerians from Johannesburg to Lagos. This first batch marks the commencement of that humanitarian intervention, with additional batches expected to follow," Obunge said.
He clarified that the returnees were not chosen on the basis of church membership, and that people of different faiths were included.
"They are Muslims, Christians, all religions. And we are intentional in making sure that we have collaborated with the various government agencies," he said.
The RCCG's role was limited to funding and facilitating the flights. Government agencies are responsible for receiving the returnees, processing their documentation and arranging their movement to their home states.
Church urges states to support reintegration
Obunge said the total number of returnees could exceed 500 slightly, as infants and children were also among those being brought back.
He explained that subsequent batches would follow once the Nigerian High Commission and South African Home Affairs authorities completed the necessary documentation for each group.
He called on state governments to be ready to receive their citizens and help them settle back into their communities.
"We use this opportunity to urge the states and governments to welcome their people home and see what they can do, as some have already started doing, to assist with the effective reintegration of their people into society," he said.
Obunge also encouraged other religious organisations to follow the RCCG's lead in supporting Nigerians in difficulty abroad, and urged stranded Nigerians in South Africa to visit the Nigerian High Commission for help with their documentation.
The returnees received food packs from the RCCG team on arrival. Pastors Amos Emovon, Patrick Uponi, Kate Ojo and Lanre Aiyedun also joined the task force at the airport.
Source: Facebook
Nigerian man shot dead in South Africa
Meanwhile, Legit.ng also reported that the Nigerian Union in South Africa confirmed that Olatunde Olaleye, 40, was killed at a Pretoria bar on September 21, 2026.
NUSA president-general Smart Nwobi said a South African national allegedly shot Olaleye following a dispute over a drinking glass.
NUSA called on the Nigerian Mission in South Africa to engage diplomatic channels to protect Nigerians in the country.
Source: Legit.ng
