The federal government of Nigeria stated on Monday that it is dissatisfied with the South African government’s failure to respond firmly enough to the renewed wave of xenophobic attacks against Nigerian nationals, warning that retaliatory diplomatic gestures, including a review of bilateral privileges, are being actively considered and are not off the table.
Amb Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, told State House media following a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. She also refuted blatant assertions by some South African authorities that the Nigerians under attack were illegal migrants.
She claimed that Nigerian passport holders were harassed, their businesses looted and burned, and their children were bullied in schools, all while South African police stood by.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said, “Our citizens are being harassed. Our citizens’ properties are being looted. Criminal actions are being perpetrated, and the police refuse to do anything. The South African government has not come out strongly and firmly enough to condemn these incidents.
“To say that Nigerians who are in South Africa doing legitimate business are illegal migrants is absolutely untrue. People who are doing legitimate business have their shops looted and their shops set on fire. Children cannot go to school because they are intimidated in their schools.”
She cited Nigeria’s historical sacrifice for South Africa’s freedom, a sacrifice she argued makes the current treatment of Nigerians especially painful and unacceptable.
“Nigeria is not happy with South Africa. Nigeria sacrificed much for the South African struggle for independence. Nigeria committed funds and committed resources. In schools, seats were reserved for South African students.
“My own generation, we carried placards; we demonstrated in front of South African assets. Sometimes we even got arrested for doing this. Nigeria is a serious frontline state, and Nigerians are not happy about how they have been treated,” she said.
Speaking on the nature of the attacks, she said, “They are not asking other migrants to leave. They are only asking Black migrants to leave.”
When asked if Nigeria was considering punitive measures, such as suspending or reviewing advantages now enjoyed by South African enterprises and nationals in Nigeria, the minister responded, “That is a situation that we are considering. This is a decision that has to be taken at the highest level of government. But it is not off the table.”
The House of Representatives had previously recommended a temporary suspension of business permits for South African companies operating in Nigeria, and the Senate agreed to send a high-level delegation led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio to South Africa to express Nigeria’s displeasure.
Regarding the evacuation exercise, Ojukwu revealed that President Bola Tinubu had approved five Air Peace evacuation flights and requested that a crisis response unit be constituted immediately within Nigeria’s consulate in Johannesburg and mission in Pretoria.
As of Monday, June 8, 1,092 Nigerians had voluntarily registered for repatriation, with the screening period extended until June 10 to accommodate all candidates.
More than 500 Nigerians have already been screened and cleared for evacuation.
The first flight, which was supposed to fly approximately 270 passengers out of Johannesburg on Monday, was rescheduled for Wednesday due to logistical reasons, according to the foreign ministry. The delay was caused by operational issues that required additional coordination, not diplomatic setbacks.
The minister stated that the evacuation, which was carried out in cooperation with the National Emergency Management Agency and other government authorities, will be followed by rehabilitation assistance.
She stated, “This evacuation is being undertaken with NEMA. We are doing that with various government agencies and parastatals to ensure that once Nigerians come in, they can be rehabilitated.”
The current crisis was sparked by anti-immigrant protests organized by groups such as Operation Dudula and March for March in late April 2026, causing significant alarm among foreign populations in numerous South African regions.
South Africa’s government has officially opposed Nigeria’s evacuation plans, with the country’s foreign minister expressing concerns and reservations about the exercise during a discussion with Ojukwu on May 7.
Ojukwu stated that she held her ground, explaining to her South African counterpart, “I maintained that our government cannot stand by and watch the systematic harassment and humiliation of our nationals resident in South Africa as well as the extrajudicial killings of our people, and that the evacuation of our citizens who want to return home remains our government’s priority at this time.”
On May 4, the federal government called South Africa’s acting high commissioner, Lesoli Machele, for urgent talks at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja.
Waves of xenophobic violence broke out in 2008, 2015, and 2019, displacing and killing foreign nationals, many of whom are Nigerians, and straining the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
During serious attacks in 2019, Air Peace CEO Allen Onyema offered free evacuation flights to Nigerians who wanted to evacuate.
Nigeria recalled its High Commissioner from Pretoria after retaliatory attacks on several South African enterprises in Nigeria.
