Nigeria issues “last call” for South Africa evacuation as citizens killed

Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has issued what she called a “last call” for Nigerian nationals in South Africa to register for government-chartered evacuation flights, warning that the safety situation for foreigners in the country shows no sign of improving.

The call, posted to the minister’s X account, came days after two Nigerians were killed in separate incidents on June 28: Musa Yunana Joe, a shop owner known as “Big Joe,” shot dead outside his store in Witbank, Mpumalanga; and Charles Iroegbu, who Nigerian officials say died in Sunnyside, Pretoria, after being taken in for questioning by Tshwane Metro Police officers.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has separately accused the same police unit of involvement in the earlier death of another Nigerian, Nnaemeka Ekpenyong, in April – a case in which it says four identified officers have still not been arrested.

“There are no signs that the situation is improving,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu said, urging citizens who feel at risk to take the government-funded flights home. She added a blunter appeal for those still undecided: property and investments lost can be replaced, but lives lost cannot.

A first flight of 258 returnees landed in Lagos on June 11; a second, crowdfunded by a private Nigerian donor after logistical delays, brought 66 more on June 24; a third official flight carried 269 people on June 30; and a fourth, arriving July 3, brought the total past 860.

According to the minister’s latest statement, a fifth flight was due to leave Lagos for Johannesburg on Tuesday, returning with about 270 more evacuees, with a further and final flight expected to reach South Africa around July 10.

Xenophobic protests and attacks targeting African nationals have continued in South Africa past an informal June 30 deadline set by South African anti-migrant groups for foreigners to leave the country — a deadline that preceded marches in Johannesburg and other cities by groups including Operation Dudula and “March and March,”.

The groups spent months campaigning for the removal of undocumented migrants. South African authorities say more than 25,000 people from various African countries have been processed for departure in recent weeks, as Ghana, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique run comparable evacuations for their own nationals.

More than 1,000 Nigerians had registered for voluntary repatriation as of early July, officials say, meaning several thousand more may still be weighing whether to leave.

Diplomatic pressure rises

Nigeria’s government has paired the evacuation with sharpening diplomatic language. In a statement on Friday, the foreign affairs ministry said the pattern of killings, combined with inflammatory remarks by a South African government spokesperson – who challenged departing Nigerians to disclose where they “hide illegal drugs” – amounted to incitement that could not go unanswered.

The ministry said it was placing South Africa “on notice” and that “all options remain on the table” if attacks on Nigerians continue, while stopping short of specifying what action it might take.

Abuja has called for urgent, independent investigations into both the Ekpenyong and Iroegbu deaths and has said leaders of anti-migrant groups accused of inciting violence could face liability under regional and international law.

It has also begun documenting businesses and property abandoned by returning citizens, with Nigeria’s acting High Commissioner in Pretoria, Alexander Ajayi, saying the government intends to seek compensation from South Africa once the repatriation exercise is complete.

South African authorities had not publicly responded to the specific allegations against the Tshwane Metro Police officers as of this writing.

The evacuation has not resolved tensions on the ground. Video circulated on social media over the weekend showing a standoff between a group of Nigerians and South African protesters separated by a makeshift rope boundary, with police stationed between them – a sign that some Nigerians who have chosen to stay are now organising their own informal security in flashpoint areas, even as the government urges calm and warns against retaliation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has continued to advise citizens remaining in South Africa to avoid demonstrations, relocate from high-risk neighbourhoods where possible, and report threats to the Nigerian High Commission rather than respond directly.

Xenophobic violence targeting African migrants – Nigerians prominent among them, alongside citizens of Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Somalia and Ethiopia – has recurred in South Africa in waves since the late 2000s, driven in part by domestic anger over unemployment and public services.