Nigeria Calls For Urgent Action On Afrophobic Attacks In South Africa, Cites 90 Deaths Since 2022
The Federal Government of Nigeria has called on South African authorities to take immediate, concrete measures to stop xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks targeting African nationals, warning that ongoing violence undermines regional integration and moral authority.
Speaking on Tuesday at a Virtual Roundtable on “South Africa’s Xenophobia in Comparative Perspective,” organized by the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, reported that approximately 90 Nigerians have lost their lives to Afrophobic violence since June 2022, with fresh displacements recorded in 2026.
Ambassador Enikanolaiye urged South Africa to reform its migration systems to make them transparent and humane while ensuring immigration enforcement remains strictly state-managed to prevent vigilantism. He cautioned political leaders against inflammatory rhetoric framing migrants as “criminals” or “job thieves,” emphasizing that such language fuels hostility.
Highlighting the historical ties between both nations, the Minister noted the irony of citizens from anti-apartheid partner nations now being targeted as “unwanted outsiders.” To preserve this record, the Ministry has directed the NIIA to document Nigeria’s anti-apartheid contributions, estimated at over $60 billion alongside key diplomatic, educational, and economic sacrifices.
To prevent further escalation, Nigeria urged the full activation of the joint Nigeria–South Africa early-warning and rapid-response mechanisms. The country also advocated for expanded people-to-people diplomacy through civil society, academia, and media to foster a shared continental identity.
In partnership with Ghana, Nigeria plans to raise the issue at the upcoming Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government. Reaffirming President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to protecting Nigerians abroad, Enikanolaiye commended diplomatic officials for their role in recent repatriation exercises, reiterating Nigeria’s resolve to collaborate with South Africa and the African Union toward continental unity.
