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• Renews push for compensation over xenophobic attacks
• 98 Nigerians killed in xenophobic attacks in S/Africa since 2022
From Fred Itua, Abuja
Nigeria has renewed calls for South Africa to compensate its citizens for losses suffered in xenophobic attacks, after Pretoria failed to ratify a bilateral security agreement signed nearly a year ago.
The disagreement has deepened a diplomatic standoff that saw President Bola Ahmed Tinubu decline to receive a special envoy from his South African counterpart last week.
At the centre of the dispute is the Memorandum of Understanding on the Early Warning Mechanism, signed by both countries in Abuja on 22 October 2025. South Africa’s Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Thandi Moraka, signed for Pretoria, while Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, then Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, signed on behalf of Abuja.
The agreement was meant to help both countries monitor threats of violence, protect citizens and manage consular matters, with rapid communication channels to de-escalate security risks. Nigerian officials said it would also have supported compensation claims for citizens whose businesses and property were destroyed in past attacks.
Nearly a year on, South Africa has still not ratified the document. Nigerian officials described Pretoria’s reasons for the delay as inadequate, and said South Africa has separately declined to pay compensation for losses suffered by Nigerians, citing its immigration laws.
The unresolved dispute came to a head last week, when President Tinubu refused to meet a South African envoy led by Ronald Lamola, the country’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation. The snub came a day after a Nigerian citizen, Chika Ibe, died in Cape Town while in police custody.
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Ambassador Ojukwu, now Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, advised against the meeting going ahead, citing continuing attacks on Nigerians and their property, and insisted that South Africa first ratify the October 2025 memorandum.
Officials say the episode is only the latest flashpoint in a pattern stretching back three decades. Xenophobic attacks in South Africa were first recorded in 1995 and have resurfaced repeatedly since, in 1998, 2006, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024 and 2026.
Since 2022, no fewer than 98 Nigerians have been killed in mob and hate related attacks, according to officials, a toll that has driven Nigeria to evacuate about 1,490 citizens from South Africa so far. Some of those evacuations were funded by private individuals, and officials at the Foreign Affairs Ministry say many more citizens still wish to return home.
Nigeria’s own institutions have come under scrutiny over their handling of the crisis. The National Assembly has not taken a formal position on the matter, and competent diplomatic sources have alleged that around 42 senators own property in Sandton and Johannesburg, a stake the sources say has limited lawmakers’ ability to respond to the crisis.
The dispute has also stalled Nigeria’s diplomatic representation in Pretoria.
South Africa maintains that it is acting within its rights. Lamola has said his government opposes xenophobia, racism and violence, and that South Africa has the right to enforce its own immigration laws. He said arrests have been made over recent attacks and that prosecutions are underway.
Despite the standoff, both countries have agreed to some steps following recent talks, including de-escalating inflammatory rhetoric, strengthening security and migration cooperation, accelerating the Early Warning Mechanism, and preparing for the next Nigeria South Africa Binational Commission meeting.
Nigeria’s demands remain unchanged. The Federal Government wants an end to further attacks on its citizens, full ratification of the Early Warning Mechanism, and compensation for documented losses. It also wants protection for its citizens regardless of immigration status, prosecution of those responsible for the violence, and reactivation of the Bi-National Commission.
