Nigeria on Wednesday night deported 33 South Africans on arrival in the country through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The Southern Africans, who arrived aboard a South African Airways Airbus A330 around 8.30pm, were denied entry.
South Africa and Nigeria are embroiled in a diplomatic feud after the authorities at Oliver Thambo Airport in Johannesburg deported 125 Nigerians on Friday, alleging their yellow fever vaccination cards were fakes.
Nigeria responded by deporting 84 South Africans within two days.
A top immigration official, who spoke with one of our correspondents under condition of anonymity, said the deportation of South Africans would continue until the problem was resolved.
However, a preventive Health expert, Dr. Abiye Kalaiwo on Wednesday in Abuja claimed the deportation of the Nigerians resulted from the recent outbreak of Lassa fever in some parts of the country.
Kalaiwo, who is also a medical practitioner with TREM Vision House medical team, faulted South Africa, saying “exportation” of Lassa fever was rare and “actual risk of infection from an imported case appears low”.
He told our correspondent said, “The recent deportation of over a hundred Nigerians from South Africa may not be unconnected with the Lassa fever epidemic.
“If true, the step may not have been necessary as an epidemic arising from exportation of Lassa fever through traveling has been rare and actual risk of infection from an imported case appears low.
“In terms of such cross border epidemics, Nigeria should naturally have more to be concerned about persons coming in from South Africa as against the reverse.”
Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Students has urged the Federal Government and its South African counterpart to end the ongoing diplomatic standoff in the interest of peace on the African continent.
NAN’s National President, Mr. Dauda Mohammed, told our correspondent, in Abuja, on Wednesday that a quick resolution of the crisis would serve both countries better.
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