Nigerian National Assembly Freezes All Parliamentary Ties With South Africa Indefinitely

• Nigeria's Senate President and Speaker jointly sanctioned an immediate suspension of all official travel to South Africa
• The boycott covers physical visits, virtual sessions, and all South African-hosted legislative engagements
• Nigeria's 36 state legislatures have been formally urged to follow suit with their own boycotts

ABUJA, NIGERIA — Lawmakers in Abuja moved to completely sever institutional ties with their counterparts in Pretoria. The unprecedented embargo was announced days after Nigeria took South Africa to the African Union over xenophobia concerns.

The drastic policy shift stems from Nigeria's criticism of unceasing hostility, fatalities, and commercial ruin directed at foreign residents. The Nigerian House of Representatives posted a statement on 11 September 2026. Leaders of both legislative chambers instituted the measures after determining that continued inter-parliamentary cooperation had become untenable while foreign nationals face systemic dangers without adequate police protection or judicial redress.

Nigeria blocks official travel to SA

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Under the comprehensive hold, all official bilateral missions, committee assignments, and staff travel across both chambers are completely stopped. Nigerian legislators are barred from taking part in any conferences, symposia, training programs, or dialogue sessions managed or funded by South African bodies.

To ensure full compliance, this restriction applies equally to physical attendance and remote digital conventions or web-based working groups, with recommendations already transmitted to regional assemblies across all federating units to enact matching bans.

House Information Director Akin Rotimi Jr. clarified that while historic bonds between the two nations remain recognized, institutional diplomacy cannot proceed under normal operations while public safety concerns go unaddressed. Federal representatives maintained that parliamentary exchanges will stay suspended until South African agencies demonstrate genuine accountability through the arrest and prosecution of violent offenders.

Read the statement on Facebook here:

Migrants flee Kenya over xenophobic claims

In a related article, Briefly News reported on African migrants leaving Kenya after President William Ruto ordered foreign nationals to exit the country’s small-business sector. The development particularly affected Burundians, who gathered outside their embassy in Nairobi to obtain travel documents.

The scenes of families waiting with suitcases drew comparisons to xenophobia allegations in South Africa. South Africans online questioned why the incident received less international outrage than similar events involving South Africa.

Source: Briefly News