RismadarVoice Reporters, June 9, 2026
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has put South Africa on notice that the Tinubu administration is weighing retaliatory measures in response to what she described as Pretoria’s continued indifference to violent xenophobic attacks targeting Nigerians and other African nationals on South African soil.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Monday, the minister was blunt in her assessment of South Africa’s handling of the crisis. “This is a situation that we are considering, but it is up to our legislature,” she said, stressing that while any formal response would require the highest level of governmental approval, the option had not been ruled out. She added simply that Nigeria was “unhappy” with South Africa.
The latest flashpoint in a long-running crisis came with the deaths of two Nigerians Amaramiro Emmanuel and Ekpenyong Andrew, who, according to the Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg, were attacked and beaten by personnel of the South African National Defence Force in Port Elizabeth in April.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu rejected Pretoria’s framing of the violence as a crackdown exclusively targeting undocumented migrants, calling it categorically false. She said Nigerians with full legal standing in the country are among those being victimised, with their homes, shops, and businesses looted or destroyed. “Citizens are being harassed. Citizens, their properties are being looted. Criminal actions are perpetuated on our citizens,” she stated.
The minister also invoked Nigeria’s historical solidarity with South Africa, reminding Pretoria of the financial, diplomatic, military, and humanitarian support Abuja provided during the decades-long anti-apartheid struggle support that stretches from the 1960s through the 1990s. That history, she implied, makes the current treatment of Nigerians in South Africa all the more unconscionable.
Her remarks come shortly after Nigerian police issued a cautionary warning to citizens against launching retaliatory attacks on South African businesses and interests within Nigeria.
On the humanitarian front, the government is preparing to fly home approximately 1,000 Nigerians currently displaced or endangered by the unrest. Ministry spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa confirmed that aircraft would be deployed once an ongoing verification exercise wraps up, with the Nigerian government covering all repatriation costs.
The evacuation, initially scheduled for Monday, was pushed back to Wednesday owing to logistical complications, though authorities extended the screening window to allow more citizens to register. Odumegwu-Ojukwu assured that all Nigerians endangered by the violence would have the opportunity to board the evacuation flights and return home.
