Johannesburg – Nigerian citizens living in South Africa have urged the federal government to take concrete steps to protect their lives and businesses as anti-foreigner protests sweep across the country.
The call was made by Reverend Frank Onyekwelu, President of the Nigerian Citizens Association in South Africa, known as NICASA, in a statement issued on Sunday.
Anti-foreigner demonstrations have been spreading across South Africa, with protesters targeting foreign-owned shops and calling for the expulsion of non-nationals. The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NiDCOM, had on Friday issued an advisory urging Nigerians in South Africa to shut their businesses and stay safe, following a circular from the Nigerian consulate-general in Johannesburg. According to the commission, protests in East London, Cape Town, Durban and KwaZulu-Natal have turned violent, resulting in looting, destruction of property and injuries. 
NiDCOM said intelligence from the consulate indicates that fresh protests are planned in Gauteng province between April 27 and 29, with demonstrators seeking to pressure the South African government over the presence of foreign nationals. The commission urged Nigerian business owners to close their shops on April 27, marked as Freedom Day, and consider remaining closed on April 28 and 29, noting that foreign-owned businesses are frequently targeted during unrest.
Many Nigerians have since taken to social media to condemn what they described as the federal government’s lack of concrete action, arguing that asking citizens to stay indoors was not a solution.
Ghana took a notably firmer stance after a video of one of its citizens being harassed in South Africa went viral. Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned South Africa’s acting High Commissioner to Accra, Thando Dalamba, and condemned the public harassment of the victim, who was identified as a legal resident in South Africa. Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Samuel Ablakwa announced that the government would relocate the victim, Emmanuel Asamoa, at full government cost. The Ghanaian government also engaged South African authorities directly, leading to official apologies and diplomatic meetings.
NICASA expressed deep concern over what it called a rising wave of xenophobic aggression, targeted harassment and reported instances of police brutality against Nigerian citizens and other African nationals in South Africa.
“We are alarmed by the increasing normalisation of hostility, manifested through inflammatory rhetoric by certain political actors, unlawful intimidation, and discriminatory enforcement practices by some law enforcement personnel. These actions not only undermine human dignity but also threaten the long-standing bonds of African solidarity,” said Onyekwelu.
The group demanded immediate high-level diplomatic engagement with South African authorities to protect the lives, businesses and rights of Nigerians, as well as a transparent mechanism for reporting and addressing cases of abuse and xenophobic violence. It also called for clear accountability for any law enforcement officers found guilty of brutality or discrimination, and public reassurance from the Nigerian government about its commitment to the safety of its citizens abroad. NICASA further called for a united continental response through the African Union and regional blocs.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa told Daily Trust that the government was still awaiting updates. “Waiting for updates from our Missions in Pretoria and Johannesburg,” he said in a brief WhatsApp message.
Former United Nations Human Rights Council President Ambassador Martin Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi condemned the attacks and called on Nigeria to respond more decisively. “The Federal Government should take strict action. You cannot go to sleep when you are being publicly attacked. Nigeria should act and act very simply and promptly,” he said.
Uhomoibhi rejected the idea that Nigerians should simply leave South Africa, saying: “That is not the solution. You should take diplomatic action. The game of diplomacy is reciprocity. You slap me, I slap you back. In diplomacy. If you keep quiet, you portray yourself as a sleepy dog or something or a nobody.”
Former Nigerian ambassador to Sudan, Côte d’Ivoire and Angola, Suleiman Dahiru, argued that while the attacks were “totally misplaced,” Nigeria’s options remained largely limited to diplomacy and that the responsibility for ending the violence rested with South African authorities.
“Nigeria has engaged South Africa on so many occasions. This is a diplomatic issue, and it is being handled diplomatically,” he said, dismissing claims that foreign nationals were responsible for job losses in South Africa as unfounded.
“They are not working for any state government in South Africa. They are not working for any local government. So, to blame them for taking away jobs that should normally go to them is totally wrong,” Dahiru said, adding that African migrants operated mostly in private businesses and should not be scapegoated.
The former envoy nonetheless cautioned that migrants should also reflect on their own conduct, noting that perceptions of unexplained wealth among some migrants could be fuelling resentment. He maintained, however, that the South African government had not done enough public education to encourage its citizens to accept that other Africans could operate legitimate businesses in the country.
