Nigeria Protests Ill-Treatment of Citizens in South Africa, Considers Retaliation

Nigeria's Federal Government officially registered its strong displeasure Monday regarding the ongoing mistreatment of Nigerians residing in South Africa. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, asserted that Nigerian citizens in the country have been unfairly targeted, harassed, and subjected to unjust treatment.

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Nigeria is not happy because Nigeria has sacrificed much for the South African struggle for independence, Nigeria sacrificed quite a lot, committed funds, committed resources to aid South Africa.

Ojukwu highlighted Nigeria's historical contributions to South Africa's struggle for independence, noting significant sacrifices in terms of funds and resources. She recalled how Nigerian schools reserved seats for South African students and how her generation actively protested against South African apartheid policies. "Nigerians are not happy about how they have treated us," she stated, emphasizing that South Africa seems to be targeting only Black migrants.

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And Nigeria is a serious frontline state, and Nigerians are not happy about how they have treated us. They are not asking other migrants to leave, they’re only asking black migrants to leave.

The Nigerian government is actively considering possible retaliatory measures against South Africa in response to the xenophobic attacks. Ojukwu indicated that any final decision would require high-level government deliberation, including input from the National Assembly, but confirmed that retaliatory actions are "not off the table."

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Well, that is a situation that we are considering. This is up to our legislature. This is up to the highest; this is a decision that has to be taken at the highest level of government, but it’s not off the table.

Addressing concerns about repatriation, Ojukwu clarified that the process is on track, with necessary formalities expected to conclude by June 8, 2026. President Bola Tinubu has also ordered the immediate establishment of a crisis response unit within Nigeria's Consulate in Johannesburg and the Nigerian Mission in Pretoria to better assist affected citizens as reports of attacks escalate. Efforts are underway to reach Nigerians across various provinces and facilitate access to consular services.

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So, once this situation started getting worse, the president directed that a crisis response unit be immediately set up within our consulate, and also the Nigerian mission in Pretoria.