Nigeria Foreign Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu Confirms Number of Citizens Who Want To Leave SA
NIGERIA— The Nigerian government said 130 Nigerians want to be repatriated to their home country following anti-illegal immigration protests in South Africa.
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According to SABC News, Nigeria's Foreign Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu said that the group are the first under a scheme the Nigerian government has launched to assist citizens who are fearful following fears that tensions in the country between locals and undocumented foreigners could lead to violence. She also said that South Africa's High Commissioner in Abuja has been summoned, and efforts have been made to reduce risks to Nigerians.
Nigerian government alleges 2 citizens killed
Odumegu-Ojukwu also condemned the deaths of two Nigerians, Ekpenyong Andrew and Amaramiro Emmanuel. In a statement she posted on her Facebook account, Odumegu-Ojukwu said that Emmanuel was allegedly beaten to death by SANDF personnel on 19 April. Andrew, on the other hand, was found dead at the Pretoria Central Mortuary after an alleged altercation with members of the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department.
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The ministry's spokesperson, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, said that the Nigerian government expects full cooperation in the investigation, including access to post-mortem documents, autopsy reports and relevant case files. Briefly News reached out to South African Police Service national spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe for comment. It will be added once available.
South Africans protest against illegal immigration
Recently, protests took place in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal in late April 2026. Political parties, including the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and ActionSA, civic organisations including Operation Dudula and March and March, and celebrities including Maskandi singer Ngizwe Mchunu, marched together. In Johannesburg, the marchers delivered a memorandum to Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi on 30 April. The marchers demanded that the government act on illegal immigration. Lesufi said the government would respond within seven days after receiving it.
Source: Briefly News
