Image @ Esa Alexander/Reuters
In an emailed statement obtained by Bloomberg on Sunday, Nigeria’s foreign ministry said officers from the Tshwane Metro Police murdered a Nigerian national on June 28 in Pretoria using what it described as “gruesome interrogation techniques.” The ministry said the same officers are also suspected of the extrajudicial killing of another Nigerian, while a third citizen died in similarly suspicious circumstances.
Abuja says the incidents go beyond isolated cases of police misconduct. The foreign ministry said information gathered by Nigeria’s diplomatic missions in South Africa “lays the grounds for criminal liability” on the part of the South African government and police, arguing the deaths could amount to state responsibility under international law. Nigerian officials say they are prepared to pursue regional and international legal avenues to hold those responsible accountable, marking a significant shift in the government’s response.
That marks a clear change in tone. When anti-immigrant attacks against Nigerians first flared in July, the Nigeria Police Force urged restraint. “We recognise the pain and anger caused by recent attacks on Nigerians abroad,” police spokesperson Aliyu Giwa wrote on X. “As an institution dedicated to protecting Nigerian lives, we understand these concerns deeply. This is a time for calm and restraint.” He warned that retaliation “would only create additional crises.”
The latest wave of anti-immigrant demonstrations, which has called for the mass expulsion of undocumented migrants, has further strained South Africa’s relations with several African countries. Hundreds of Nigerians have already been evacuated. Lawmakers in Abuja have also floated the idea of nationalising South African companies operating in Nigeria as a punitive measure.
Calls for economic retaliation have been building for months. As the protests gathered momentum earlier this year, Nigeria’s Senate recommended suspending the operations of South African businesses in the country. Around the same time, Allen Onyema, chief executive of Air Peace, Nigeria’s largest airline, urged Nigerians to boycott South African companies and stop investing in South African-linked businesses.
The victims have since been identified as Emeka Charles Iroegbu, who was allegedly tortured to death by Tshwane Metro Police officers in Sunnyside, Pretoria, and Musa Yunana Joe, known as “Big Joe,” who was shot dead outside his shop in Witbank, Mpumalanga, on the same day by unidentified gunmen. The foreign ministry said the officers accused in Iroegbu’s death are also linked to the April 20 killing of another Nigerian, Nnaemeka Mathew Andrew Ekpenyong. It said no arrests have been made in that case, despite claims that the officers’ identities are known to the South African Police Service.
Nigerian authorities have also criticised remarks attributed to a South African government spokesperson who reportedly challenged departing Nigerians to reveal where illegal drugs were being hidden. Abuja described the comments as inflammatory and said they fuel hostility toward Nigerians living in South Africa.
For now, Nigeria says it remains committed to diplomacy while pressing South Africa to prosecute those responsible. With evacuations continuing and pressure mounting from lawmakers and business leaders for tougher economic measures, the latest killings have added fresh strain to an already tense relationship between the two countries.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah