An anti-immigrant demonstrator throws a bottle at a building as items which the demonstrators say belong to foreign nationals burn on the street during an anti-immigrant demonstration, in Johannesburg, South Africa, June 30, 2026. Image @ REUTERS/Oupa Nkosi/File Photo
A diplomatic dispute between Pretoria and Abuja intensified this week after South African police rejected Nigeria’s claim that the death of one of its citizens in custody was connected to the country’s anti-migrant unrest. Police insist the man died after being arrested on drug-related charges.
Nigeria’s foreign ministry said on Sunday that the man died during a police interrogation, two days before nationwide protests against undocumented migrants. It warned that Abuja could take unspecified action if attacks on Nigerians in South Africa continued. South African authorities pushed back on Tuesday, saying the death in late June was unrelated to the growing anti-foreigner sentiment across the country.
“The South African Police Service strongly rejects attempts to link this incident to anti-illegal immigrant protests,” a police spokesperson said in a statement. The spokesperson said officers from a police drug unit arrested the man at his apartment during an intelligence-led operation, where they recovered drugs. While he was being transported to a police station in Pretoria, he collapsed. Paramedics were called but declared him dead at the scene. Police said the case was immediately referred to the country’s independent police watchdog for investigation.
Nigeria identified the deceased as Emeka Charles Iroegbu, saying he died on June 28 after officers allegedly used “gruesome interrogation techniques” during questioning. South Africa’s Independent Police Investigative Directorate confirmed it is investigating the case. Spokesperson Lizzy Suping said, “our investigation is underway.”
South Africa’s foreign ministry has not directly addressed Nigeria’s allegations. Instead, it urged Abuja to submit any evidence through official diplomatic channels. Ministry spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said, “our legal frameworks demand substantive proof rather than public narrative,” adding that Pretoria had repeatedly encouraged Nigeria’s High Commissioner to pursue the matter through established diplomatic processes instead of public statements.
The dispute extends beyond Iroegbu’s death. Nigeria has also raised concerns over the unresolved killing of Nnaemeka Mathew Andrew Ekpenyong, who died in Pretoria on April 20. Abuja says the investigation remains incomplete despite the officers involved having been identified. In another case during the same week as Iroegbu’s death, Nigerian shop owner Musa Yunana Joe was killed in an attack in Mpumalanga province. No suspects have been identified.
South Africa is also facing pressure from Ghana, which is demanding accountability over the fatal shooting of 35-year-old Kwabena Boagen in Cape Town. Ghana initially linked the killing to anti-immigrant protests, but South African authorities dismissed that claim, saying Boagen was shot during an unrelated extortion incident in Nyanga township on June 29.
Anti-migrant demonstrations have spread across South Africa in recent months. Most have remained peaceful, but some have turned violent, with attacks on foreign nationals and the looting of foreign-owned businesses. The protests come as the country struggles with unemployment above 30 percent. Groups including Operation Dudula and March on March accuse undocumented migrants of placing pressure on public services and competing with locals for jobs.
Foreign-born residents account for about 5 percent of South Africa’s population of 63 million. The rising tensions have already prompted several African governments, including Nigeria, Ghana and Malawi, to repatriate hundreds of their citizens.
Rights groups argue that migrants are being unfairly blamed for long-standing problems such as crime and unemployment, saying those issues existed long before the latest wave of migration into South Africa.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah