Nigeria has raised formal concern with South Africa after saying two of its citizens were killed there amid a wider increase in hostility towards foreign nationals.
The Nigerian foreign ministry said Emeka Charles Iroegbu was reportedly killed on 28 June in Pretoria by officers from the Tshwane Metro Police Department during an interrogation. It said another Nigerian, shop owner Musa Yunana Joe, was killed the same day by unidentified assailants outside his business in eMalahleni, a city in Mpumalanga province.
South African authorities in Pretoria had not issued a public response to the allegations concerning the two deaths at the time of the Nigerian statement. The claims have added to diplomatic pressure between two of Africa’s largest economies over the treatment of migrants and the conduct of anti-immigration groups.
Abuja said the deaths occurred “at a time when foreigners are being unduly targeted” in South Africa. It linked the cases to a broader rise in anti-migrant sentiment, which it said had contributed to the repatriation of about 25,000 foreign nationals by several African governments, including roughly 700 Nigerians.
South Africa has seen renewed public mobilisation against undocumented migration in recent months. Protest groups have argued that the government should do more to enforce immigration laws, saying foreign nationals are competing for scarce jobs and placing pressure on public services. Police said protests held across the country on Tuesday were peaceful.
The issue is politically sensitive in South Africa, where unemployment remains above 30% and pressure on housing, healthcare and municipal services has become a central domestic concern. The country continues to attract migrants from poorer states in the region and elsewhere on the continent, many seeking work in informal or low paid sectors.
Nigeria’s foreign ministry accused groups including March on March and Operation Dudula of encouraging hostility towards other Africans. It warned that those responsible could face regional or international legal consequences, although it did not specify what formal steps Abuja may take or whether it intends to bring the matter before the African Union.
Some anti-migrant groups had set a 30 June deadline for undocumented foreigners to leave South Africa. Ghana, Malawi and Nigeria were among countries that repatriated some citizens before that date, according to the Nigerian authorities.
In its statement, Abuja said it was placing the South African government “on notice” and said “all options remain on the table” if the pattern of intolerance was not addressed. The ministry also said Nigeria would seek compensation for citizens who had left South Africa and had begun documenting businesses and properties they left behind.
South Africa has rejected the compensation demand. Cabinet minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni told a media briefing on Friday that the government would not pay compensation, adding that Nigerians could sell registered properties they had left behind through the South African market.
Ntshavheni also made remarks referring to alleged drug activity by Nigerians in South Africa. Nigeria’s foreign ministry strongly criticised the comments on Sunday, describing them as unacceptable and saying broad statements of that kind by senior officials amounted to hate speech.
The dispute highlights the strain migration has placed on relations between African states whose citizens move across borders for work, safety and trade. For Nigeria, the immediate issue is the safety of its nationals and the handling of the two reported killings. For South Africa, the challenge is balancing immigration enforcement with the protection of foreign residents from intimidation and violence.
Further diplomatic exchanges are expected if Pretoria issues a formal response to Abuja’s allegations. Until then, the deaths of Iroegbu and Joe are likely to remain at the centre of a wider debate over policing, public order and the rights of migrants in South Africa.
