President Bola Tinubu declined to personally receive a special envoy from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday as Nigeria intensified pressure on Pretoria over recurring xenophobic attacks targeting Nigerians and other African nationals.
Instead, the President directed the South African delegation, led by the country’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, to meet with the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, who will brief him on the outcome of the discussions.
The development came as the Federal Government strongly condemned the repeated attacks and urged South Africa to take urgent and decisive action to end the violence against foreign nationals.
Presidency sources said the South African delegation arrived in Abuja on Friday with a message from President Ramaphosa but was not granted a meeting with Tinubu amid rising diplomatic tension triggered by the latest attacks.
One source said the delegation arrived without prior notice and was informed that the President’s availability could not be confirmed immediately.
Another source disclosed that Tinubu had no meeting scheduled with the delegation, while a third said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who is attending engagements in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, advised that it was not the right time for the President to receive the envoy while attacks on Nigerians and their businesses were ongoing.
Speaking during the meeting in Abuja, Enikanolaiye said Tinubu directed the engagement to facilitate discussions on ending the attacks and preserving the long-standing relationship between both countries.
He recalled Nigeria’s support for South Africa during the anti-apartheid struggle and the strategic partnership both nations later built through the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had actually asked us to meet with you and exchange views and perspectives on how to address and resolve the ongoing Afrophobic attacks in South Africa, of which Nigerians and other citizens of Africa have been victims,” he said.
The minister expressed concern over what he described as a recurring pattern of attacks dating back to 1995.
According to him, incidents were recorded in 1995, 1998, 2006, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024 and 2026.
He disclosed that 98 Nigerians had died in mob attacks and hate-related violence since 2022, describing the trend as Afrophobia because Africans, particularly Nigerians, remained the main targets.
Enikanolaiye stressed that Nigeria does not support criminality but insisted that anyone accused of an offence should face lawful prosecution rather than mob justice.
“The Nigerian government will not support drug peddlers, but what we are saying is that anyone accused of an offence should be treated in accordance with your constitution, international human rights instruments and the minimum requirements of humanity,” he said.
He added that many Nigerians legally residing in South Africa had also been attacked, raising concerns over reported instances where security personnel failed to intervene.
The minister said the situation raised questions about the responsibility of state authorities if they were unable or unwilling to protect victims.
He also recalled previous evacuations of Nigerians from South Africa, revealing that nearly 1,500 citizens had been brought home after earlier waves of violence.
“I shed tears in the plane when I saw children, women and the elderly returning home with almost nothing. Some had their properties looted and destroyed,” he said.
The latest diplomatic engagement follows renewed xenophobic violence that erupted in April, prompting Nigeria to approve evacuation flights for stranded citizens after more than 1,000 Nigerians registered for voluntary repatriation.
Responding, Lamola said President Ramaphosa sent him to Abuja to reaffirm South Africa’s opposition to xenophobia, racism and all forms of intolerance.
“We have been outspoken against any intolerance, including xenophobia, racism, homophobia, violence and discrimination directed at individuals within our borders,” he said.
He, however, maintained that South Africa would continue enforcing its immigration laws and addressing criminal activities within its territory.
Lamola described migration as a continental challenge requiring cooperation among African countries and expressed confidence that sustained dialogue between Abuja and Pretoria would help reduce diplomatic tensions.
Relations between Nigeria and South Africa have worsened in recent weeks following renewed attacks on Nigerians and other foreign nationals.
The House of Representatives recently recommended suspending business permits issued to South African companies operating in Nigeria, while the Senate sent a delegation to Pretoria to formally convey Nigeria’s concerns over the attacks.
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