His message came as dozens of Nigerian nationals continued camping outside the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria, urging their government to evacuate them.

The Nigerian government announced last week that it had completed its voluntary repatriation programme. The final flight transported more than 300 returnees home on Thursday.

Okokoh said about 1,490 Nigerian nationals had been repatriated since the programme began in June.

“What is unfolding is some people who actually woke up at the last minute, thinking they will be repatriated the moment they come to the embassy or the High Commission. They forget that repatriation is a conditional offer made to them, so most of them did not take the offer seriously. The Nigerian government explicitly said that they are going to send only five flights, which they have sent. It’s not like they just halted it or it’s not like they don’t want to continue it. It is just because they’ve already exhausted the plan they have.”