Outgoing ILASA president, Ugo Johnson Anyiam urges FG to airlift stranded Nigerians from South Africa.

The outgoing President of the Igbo Lawyers Association of South Africa (ILASA), Chief Ugo Johnson Anyiam, has appealed to the Federal Government of Nigeria to urgently deploy aircraft to South Africa to evacuate the thousands of Nigerians still stranded amid the ongoing xenophobic attacks and growing humanitarian concerns in parts of the country. Chief Anyiam made the appeal in an exclusive interview with Umuaka Times correspondents in South Africa in South Africa, following the successful evacuation of 32 stranded Nigerians facilitated by ILASA. The 32 Nigerians, according to information gathered by Umuaka Times, departed South Africa on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, and were airlifted to Nigeria through Angolan Airlines.

Anyiam, who spoke on the challenges confronting Nigerians seeking to return home, said many Nigerians were still stranded on the streets and in desperate need of assistance from the Nigerian government, corporate organizations, humanitarian agencies and private individuals.

“There are still a lot of people stranded in the streets and in need of intervention from government and corporate organizations, individuals and more,” he said.

The ILASA president stressed that the association remained willing to collaborate with the Federal Government, humanitarian organizations and other stakeholders to ensure that more Nigerians were evacuated from South Africa. He also disclosed that he had personally undertaken to assist Umuaka sons and daughters who are stranded in South Africa and genuinely wish to return home. According to him, his intervention includes purchasing air tickets for those who obtain the necessary travel clearance and waivers from the South African government and the Nigerian Embassy.

“For Akalites, it is my private project. I’m waiting for them to get travel clearance/waivers from the South African government and Nigerian Embassy, then I will start buying their tickets,” Anyiam told Umuaka Times.

He added that ILASA was prepared to facilitate the evacuation of additional stranded Nigerians if more resources became available, stressing that the scale of the humanitarian challenge required the collective intervention of governments, businesses, community organizations and individuals.Chief Anyiam also expressed appreciation to individuals and organizations that have supported efforts to evacuate Nigerians from South Africa. He specifically commended Dr. Allen Onyema of Air Peace for providing assistance in evacuating Nigerians at his own cost and for subsidizing government-sponsored evacuation flights.

The outgoing president equally thanked the management of Air Peace, ValuJet Nigeria for their intervention and recognized Dr. Ike Francis Igbo of Target Laboratories, South Africa, for collaborating with ILASA in the ongoing evacuation efforts. He further commended members of ILASA for what he described as their patriotism, sacrifice and commitment to helping stranded Nigerians return home safely.

“I want to also thank the members of ILASA for their patriotism and commitment towards this project. We look forward to partnering with corporate bodies and more organizations in order to evacuate the remaining others,” he said.

The development comes as concerns continue to mount over the welfare of Nigerians and other foreign nationals affected by xenophobic attacks and insecurity in parts of South Africa, with calls growing for stronger government-led evacuation and protection measures.