South Africa and Nigeria Pledge Closer Cooperation on Migration and Organised Crime Issues

• International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola travelled to Abuja to meet Nigerian President Bola Tinubu
• The two countries discussed bilateral cooperation amid recent tensions following anti-illegal immigration protests
• Lamola also explained the South African government’s stance on xenophobic violence following allegations of Afrophobic attacks

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.

ABUJA - South Africa and Nigeria have agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation on migration, organised crime, and regional security, following high-level diplomatic talks held in Abuja.

International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola travelled to Nigeria's capital as President Cyril Ramaphosa's Special Envoy, delivering a direct message to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu as the two governments worked to stabilise a strained relationship.

The talks covered law enforcement cooperation, attacks on police officers during crime operations, organised crime, and the status of over 500 Nigerian nationals who were processed and arrested in South Africa in recent weeks.

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Lamola defends law enforcement actions in South Africa

The minister was explicit in distancing South Africa's crime operations from ethnic profiling, stating that all enforcement actions are evidence-based and directed at individual criminal conduct. He emphasised that the law-abiding Nigerian community in South Africa is not the target of these measures and reiterated the government's zero-tolerance position on xenophobic violence.

The engagement comes after weeks of diplomatic friction following anti-illegal immigration marches in South Africa. Countries like Nigeria and Ghana have raised concerns over what they described as ‘Afrophobic attacks’ and hate speech targeting foreign nationals.

Nigeria’s response to demonstrations in South Africa

Nigerian officials also publicly questioned whether South African law enforcement had done enough to prevent vigilante violence, or whether there was any degree of tacit complicity in failing to contain xenophobic groups.

In response to mounting safety concerns for its citizens in South Africa, Nigeria also launched a voluntary repatriation programme coordinated through its High Commission in Pretoria.

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Between 1,400 and 1,500 Nigerian nationals have since been evacuated, with Abuja securing immigration waivers from South African authorities to allow citizens with visa overstays to depart without facing detention. The Nigerian government has also announced its intention to seek financial compensation from Pretoria for assets, businesses, and properties that were abandoned or destroyed during the unrest.

Both governments have since committed to resolving outstanding grievances through diplomacy and structured security cooperation rather than further escalation.

Repatriated Nigerians given financial stipends

Briefly News reported that repatriated Nigerians received immediate financial stipends alongside communications packages

The citizens received the gifts on Wednesday, 24 June 2026, when they touched down in Lagos after fleeing South Africa.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the emergency intervention as part of the state’s commitment to protect citizens trapped abroad

Source: Briefly News