Nigeria may seek AU intervention over attacks on citizens in South Africa

Nigeria's Federal Government is contemplating escalating the issue of xenophobic attacks against its citizens in South Africa to the African Union. The government views the persistent violence as a growing continental concern that demands a broader, more coordinated response.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye, stated that Nigeria would continue to engage South African authorities at all government levels to ensure the safety of Nigerians residing there. He described the attacks, often encouraged by "thug leaders," as "totally unacceptable" and a violation of the ideals of African unity and solidarity.

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When you have thug leaders literally encouraging violence against other nationalities, that is totally unacceptable. We will be reminding them of their responsibility in this regard.

"We are going to do this at all levels of government, at our own level, at our level of officials, at the level of even Mr President, to be sure that Nigerians are not subjected to this kind of harassment going forward," Enikanolaiye said during an appearance on Arise TV.

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We are going to do this at all levels of government, at our own level, at our level of officials, at the level of even Mr President, to be sure that Nigerians are not subjected to this kind of harassment going forward.

He further indicated that Nigeria might seek intervention from the African Union to achieve a more continental response to what is becoming an "African challenge." Enikanolaiye stressed that African nations must collectively protect their residents, regardless of nationality, as attacks on fellow Africans threaten regional cooperation and integration.

This development follows the arrival of the first batch of 268 Nigerians evacuated from South Africa in Lagos on Thursday. The evacuation, part of the Federal Government's repatriation efforts, comes in response to mounting safety concerns for Nigerians in South Africa, with over 1,000 citizens reportedly seeking to return home. Additional flights are expected in the coming days.

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We have also indicated that going forward to prevent this, we may have to escalate it to the African Union and get a more continental response to this, which is becoming an African challenge.