“This Is Sad”: Stranded Nigerian Nationals Battered by Cold Front Outside Embassy Plead for Help
- 34 Nigerian nationals waiting to be repatriated have been sleeping outside the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria since 30 June 2026
- The group, who want to return home to Nigeria after anti-immigration protests in South Africa, say embassy officials chased them out without shelter
- Caught in a bitter cold front, the stranded nationals have appealed to President Tinubu and Nigerian officials to intervene
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Source: Facebook
Thirty-four Nigerian nationals stranded outside the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria are sleeping in the cold, begging their government to bring them home.
A video shared on Facebook by Nigerian national Nwata Budoagwu Obudoilo on 11 August 2026 showed the group huddled outside the embassy gates. In the clip, the men and women said they had been living outside the building since 30 June 2026, roughly two months, after being turned away by embassy officials without any shelter or support.
The nationals said their situation worsened when a cold front swept across South Africa, leaving them exposed to freezing temperatures with nowhere to go.
Stranded since anti-immigration protests
The group’s ordeal began in the wake of anti-illegal immigration demonstrations that flared up in South Africa at the end of June 2026. The protests prompted many foreign nationals to seek repatriation, and these 34 individuals made their way to the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria hoping to be assisted with flights home.
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Instead, they say they were pushed out of the embassy grounds and left to fend for themselves on the street. In the video, several of them made a direct appeal to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and other government officials to step in and arrange their return.
Watch the Facebook video that sparked outrage online:
SA reacts to the video
The video drew strong reactions from viewers, with many expressing frustration and sympathy in equal measure:
@Teboho Motlokoa said:
“I’m sure there are a lot of legal Nigerians in Pretoria. Why can’t they shelter their brothers while they are still waiting for the embassy to arrange a temporary structure inside the embassy? ”
@Mdumiseni Dumi Baloyi wrote:
“Can you please take those investors to Malema & Thabo Mbeki's home for shelter? It is cold and raining.”
@Wise Oliver commented:
“The question is that the Nigerian government has given a deadline; however, most of you guys tried to try your luck in SA. Now it’s not complicated.”
At the time of the video’s posting, the 34 nationals remained outside the embassy with no confirmed date for their departure.
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Source: Briefly News
