The Nigerian Union South Africa said many of those affected cannot afford to return home on their own and are asking the government to clarify the cancellation.
The cancellation comes as anti-migrant tensions continue in South Africa and more Nigerians await government assistance.
The Nigerian government flew more than 260 citizens home from South Africa on June 11, 2026, aboard a special Air Peace flight arranged as xenophobic attacks against migrants intensified. A second flight had been scheduled for June 15.
On June 14, a day before the planned departure, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa issued a one-line statement saying, “There will be no evacuation flight tomorrow.” No further explanation was provided.
NUSA President-General Smart Nwobi said the cancellation left vulnerable Nigerians disappointed and distressed. Many had been counting on the government flight because they lack the financial means to return independently, he said.
“The inability of the scheduled flight of 15 June 2026 to airlift these Nigerians has further compounded their challenges and raised serious concerns among affected individuals and their families,” Nwobi said.
NUSA called on the Nigerian ambassador to South Africa, the minister of foreign affairs and other relevant agencies to publicly explain the cancellation and outline next steps.
Videos circulating on social media have shown the impact of the crisis on migrants. In one, a Nigerian man with what he described as valid documentation and a business employing more than 20 South Africans said he was still being told to leave. He said he was willing to go but wanted to be paid for what he owned, a request he said was refused.
In another video, a Ghanaian woman said her property had been looted and burned, leaving her sleeping on a sidewalk alongside nearly 200 other migrants.
The cancellations come as some South Africans have informally set June 30 as a date by which undocumented migrants are expected to present themselves for repatriation or face enforcement action.
The first group of evacuees arrived at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on June 11. No date has been announced for a second flight.