By Emmanuel Nduka
The Nigerian Government has warned that it may take retaliatory measures against South Africa over what it described as the country’s inadequate response to persistent xenophobic attacks targeting Nigerians and other African nationals.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, issued the warning on Monday in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, expressing frustration over what she called South Africa’s complacency in addressing violence that has continued to endanger the lives and livelihoods of foreign Africans living in the country.
According to the minister, the administration of President Bola Tinubu is considering various options in response to the attacks, although any decision on retaliatory action would require approval at the highest levels of government.
“This is a situation that we are considering, but it is up to our legislature,” she said. “It is a decision that has to be taken at the highest level of government, but it’s not off the table.”
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said Nigeria was deeply dissatisfied with South Africa’s handling of xenophobic violence, which has repeatedly resulted in deaths, injuries and destruction of property belonging to Nigerians.
Her comments come amid renewed concerns over the safety of Nigerians in South Africa following the reported killing of two Nigerians, identified as Amaramiro Emmanuel and Ekpenyong Andrew. The victims were allegedly attacked and beaten by officials of the South African National Defence Force in Port Elizabeth, according to reports from the Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg.
The minister noted that the continued targeting of Nigerians was particularly troubling given Nigeria’s historical support for South Africa during its struggle against apartheid. She recalled that Nigeria committed significant financial, diplomatic and humanitarian resources to support the country’s liberation efforts.
“Nigeria has sacrificed much for the South African struggle for independence. Nigeria sacrificed quite a lot, committed funds, committed resources to aid South Africa,” she stated.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu also dismissed claims by South African authorities that the violence is largely directed at undocumented migrants, insisting that many victims are Nigerians legally residing in the country.
“That is absolutely untrue,” she said. “Citizens are being harassed. Citizens, their properties are being looted. Criminal actions are perpetuated on our citizens.”
She maintained that Nigerians with valid residency status have continued to suffer attacks, while their homes, businesses and other properties have been looted or destroyed by violent mobs.
The minister’s remarks came days after the Nigeria Police Force cautioned citizens against carrying out retaliatory attacks on South African-owned businesses and interests within Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has intensified plans to evacuate Nigerians willing to return home from South Africa. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently disclosed that about 1,000 Nigerians are expected to be repatriated once an ongoing verification exercise is concluded.
Spokesperson for the ministry, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said aircraft would be deployed for the operation, with the government bearing the full cost of transporting the evacuees back to Nigeria.
Although the evacuation was initially scheduled to commence on Monday, authorities postponed the exercise until Wednesday due to logistical challenges and an extension of the screening process to accommodate more applicants.
Providing an update on the planned repatriation, Odumegwu-Ojukwu assured that arrangements remain on track and that Nigerians affected by the violence would be given the opportunity to return home safely.
“We are prepared to ensure that citizens imperilled by this violence will have the chance of getting on this aircraft to be brought back to their country,” she said.
