By Jude Ibeh
Nigeria’s ambassador to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, says
more than 30 Nigerians have been killed by South African police and defence
personnel since 2022, warning that Nigeria’s patience is running thin.
Mr Fani-Kayode raised the alarm after two more Nigerians
were reportedly killed in separate incidents, taking the number of Nigerian
deaths recorded in South Africa this year to eight.
He said at least four of the eight Nigerians killed in 2026
were allegedly murdered by South African police officers, while more than 100
Nigerian nationals had been killed in the country since 2022.
The ambassador made the claims in a Facebook post on Friday night,
describing what he called a growing pattern of abuse against Nigerians by
members of the South African Police Service and Defence Force.
He said some of those alleged abuses had ended in deaths,
adding that more than 30 Nigerians among the wider number of victims had been
killed by South African security personnel.
The latest deaths involved James Nwankwo and Taiwo Fakunle,
whose deaths were reported after separate incidents in Cape Town and
Johannesburg, according to an account from the Nigerian Consulate in
Johannesburg.
Nwankwo was reportedly killed by members of the South
African Police Service in Somerset West, Cape Town, on 5 September, making him
the latest Nigerian allegedly killed by police since a fresh wave of xenophobic
violence began.
Mr Fani-Kayode said Nwankwo died following what he described
as “gruesome interrogation techniques” allegedly used by South African police
officers during the incident.
Fakunle, identified by the ambassador as a bishop, was
reportedly shot dead at his home in Johannesburg on 4 September after allegedly
receiving threats from his attackers.
The identity of Fakunle’s killers remains unknown, while the
ambassador expressed frustration that none of those responsible for the
reported killings had been arrested, prosecuted or brought before the courts.
Mr Fani-Kayode said the lack of accountability was
particularly disturbing given the repeated concerns raised by Nigerian
authorities over attacks and alleged abuses against Nigerian citizens living in
South Africa.
He also warned of renewed tension after xenophobic groups
reportedly issued another deadline for black foreigners to leave South Africa,
following an earlier deadline of 30 June.
According to the ambassador, the groups behind the latest
deadline had openly threatened Nigerians and other African nationals with
violence if they refused to leave the country.
He described the development as deeply worrying for the
Nigerian community, saying many Nigerians were living in fear while the
Nigerian diplomatic mission remained concerned about what could happen next.
Mr Fani-Kayode urged the South African government to take
firm action against groups threatening African migrants and use the law to
prevent attacks against foreigners living in the country.
He said continued discrimination and killings could have
serious consequences if authorities failed to break what he described as a
vicious cycle of hostility towards Nigerians and other Africans.
The ambassador also appealed for equal protection for
Nigerians, arguing that South Africans living in Nigeria were not subjected to
similar attacks by Nigerians or Nigerian security agencies.
He said South Africa should protect Nigerian nationals,
investigate reported killings and address Nigeria’s concerns before tensions
between the two countries deepen.
Xenophobic violence in South Africa has previously forced
thousands of African migrants to leave the country, with Nigeria, Ghana,
Zimbabwe and Malawi among countries that have repatriated citizens.
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