Tinubu declines meeting with South African envoy over xenophobic attacks on Nigerians — Report

President Bola Tinubu has reportedly declined to receive a special envoy sent by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa amid growing concerns over persistent xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa.

According to Vanguard, the South African delegation, led by the country’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, arrived in Abuja on Friday, July 24, to deliver what officials described as a “very important message” to the Nigerian leader.

The development comes less than 24 hours after the reported killing of a Nigerian, Chika Ibe, who was allegedly picked up from his residence at Parksig Villas Complex in Bellville, Cape Town, and tortured to death by personnel of the South African Police Service (SAPS).

Diplomatic sources said Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, advised the Presidency that it was not the appropriate time for President Tinubu to receive the South African delegation.

According to the sources, the minister cited the continued attacks on Nigerians, their businesses and properties in South Africa as the basis for her recommendation.

She reportedly insisted that the South African delegation could not be granted an audience with the President without a prior appointment and concrete commitments from Pretoria.

The minister was also said to have demanded that South Africa present a signed copy of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Early Warning Mechanism (EWM), signed by both countries in Abuja on October 22 last year, before further diplomatic engagement.

According to Nigerian officials, South Africa is yet to ratify the agreement, citing what they described as inadequate reasons.

The Early Warning Mechanism was designed to strengthen cooperation between both countries in monitoring threats of violence, protecting citizens and improving consular coordination.

It also provides rapid communication channels to prevent criminal acts, reprisals and xenophobic attacks against citizens of either country.

Officials said the framework would also have facilitated compensation claims for Nigerians whose businesses and properties were destroyed during xenophobic attacks.

However, South African authorities have reportedly declined to compensate victims, maintaining that only legally registered properties are recognised under the country’s property laws, while structures in informal settlements are not.

As of the time of the report, Presidency sources said President Tinubu had yet to agree to meet the South African envoy, while the outcome of a telephone conversation reportedly initiated by President Ramaphosa over the weekend remained unclear.

Nigeria has consistently condemned xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

At the 69th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in Sierra Leone, Vice President Kashim Shettima, representing President Tinubu, denounced the attacks and pledged that Nigeria would push for stronger measures against xenophobia at the African Union.

He also disclosed that the Federal Government had evacuated 1,490 Nigerians affected by previous xenophobic violence and reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to protecting its citizens across Africa.

Meanwhile, South African authorities have launched an investigation into the death of Chika Ibe.

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), the agency responsible for overseeing police conduct, said preliminary post-mortem findings showed that the 42-year-old sustained multiple bruises and abrasions on his back and chest.

The Western Cape Police also claimed that Ibe became unwell while officers attempted to arrest him during an operation in Cape Town.

Police spokesperson, Col. Andre Traut, said officers were conducting a search at a residence when they allegedly discovered an unlicensed firearm and suspected drugs.

However, a video obtained by Vanguard reportedly contradicts the police account, showing Ibe, who had already sustained injuries from rubber bullets, being shot by a police officer while other officers stood nearby.

The incident triggered protests by members of the Nigerian community in Cape Town.

In the video, a man speaking in Igbo was heard saying, “The police has just killed someone now; the police has just killed someone now. People need to come to Parksig Villa, Bellville, Cape Town. They can’t be treating us like animal and be using guns on us. We need to end it once and for all.”

Reacting to the incident, the spokesperson for Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, described it as “a very unfortunate situation.”

South Africa’s Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration also confirmed that the matter is under investigation.