Nigeria says two nationals killed in South Africa amid rise of anti-migrant attacks

Nigeria's government has announced that two of its nationals have been killed in South Africa, with one reportedly dying on June 28th outside his shop in eMalahleni due to alleged police brutality during interrogation. Nigeria has placed the South African government "on notice" and is considering all options if the trend of intolerance against foreigners is not addressed, also stating it will seek compensation for Nigerians who have left the country and is documenting their abandoned businesses and properties. South Africa's cabinet minister, however, stated her government will not pay compensation and suggested Nigerians sell their registered properties, while also expressing interest in identifying Nigerian drug dens. Nigeria's foreign ministry condemned these remarks as "unacceptable" hate speech.

Nigeria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that two Nigerian nationals were killed in South Africa on June 28, following violent anti-immigrant protests. The killings occurred two days before an unofficial deadline set by protesters for foreigners to leave the country. One Nigerian was allegedly killed by police officers, and the other by unidentified attackers. These incidents took place amid protests where foreigners were blamed for unemployment, crime, and strain on public services. In response to the violence and attacks on Africans, Nigeria, Ghana, and Malawi repatriated their citizens and summoned South African diplomats. Nigeria expressed concern that these killings suggest a deliberate attempt to generalize and wrongly label Nigerians as criminals.