“They Think a Visa Is Citizenship”: 3 Nigerian Men Deported From Mzansi Over Social Media Posts

• Three Nigerian nationals were denied entry and deported from O.R Tambo International after being flagged for derogatory online comments
• The travellers claimed they were unlawfully detained, but authorities stated that they failed to explain their insulting social media behaviour during screening
• Social media users showed little sympathy, questioning why they wanted to visit a country they had previously mocked online

A group of travellers discovered that their digital footprint had real-world consequences after being sent back to their home country upon landing in Mzansi.

The news was shared by the Facebook account Ameyaw Debrah, detailing how social media conduct was impacting border security.

The incident occurred on 5 April at O.R. Tambo International Airport. Among those affected was media personality Yemi, who claimed that despite holding visas, they were detained and had their phones seized. In a video shared on X, Yemi expressed his frustration, alleging that officials initially refused to let them arrange a flight to go back home. He also added that his friend was kept in detention for many hours.

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The Nigerian men are refused entry in SA

The Facebook post by Ameyaw Debrah noted that the local authorities shared that the individuals had already been flagged due to insulting posts. According to officials, the group could not properly explain their derogatory online history during the screening process. Some of the comments by Yemi were about South African men being useless and without jobs, along with derogatory comments about local women. This resulted in an immediate denial of entry.

Watch Yemi's X video while detained at O.R. Tambo International Airport below:

See Facebook post below:

SA reacts to the detention news

The post gained traction as many social media users flooded the comments to share their opinions. Many views pointed out that even secondary citizenship can be at risk when a visitor’s conduct is deemed a threat to the host nation’s dignity. Some viewers reminded the man that having the right travel papers was not the only thing looked at to grant a person entry into another country. Others called internet users who misbehave online to the post, saying they needed to see the results of such actions.

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User @Tetteh J. Zutah commented:

"The audacity to insult authority in a foreign land. They think a visa is citizenship! Even secondary citizenship can be revoked."

User @Joshua Owusu said:

"The fact that you have the right visa does not guarantee straight entry."

User @Calida Dogbey commented:

"Hope our very own Ministry of Foreign Affairs can see this. Those who complain about our "slowness" must be used as a deterrent to others."

User @Siki Sücrë Mh added:

"Those who misbehave on social media, and when they are called out, they're like, 'don't take social media seriously,' over to you."

User @Oghene King J Zeus said:

"Africa, we are going nowhere, lol."

User @Isaac Addai shared:

"So Nigerians think the whole of Africa belongs to them, right? The sooner they realise the hole they are digging for themselves, the better."

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Source: Briefly News