Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday, July 27, 2026, declined to personally receive a special delegation sent by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, directing the envoys instead to meet with the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, as diplomatic tensions between Africa's two largest economies escalated over persistent xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa. The South African delegation, led by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola, had arrived in Abuja on Friday, July 24, carrying what was described to Nigerian officials as a "very important message" from President Ramaphosa. However, multiple Presidency sources confirmed that the delegation had sought an audience with the President without prior notice, a breach of diplomatic protocol that ultimately led to the snub.
A Presidency source explained the chain of events to journalists on Monday, stating that the envoys were initially told the President would consider their request and they could return on Monday. "But when Monday came, he simply said they should go and meet the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Enikanolaiye, and whatever they discuss, the minister would come and brief him," the source said. Another official confirmed that no meeting with the South African delegation appeared on the President's official schedule, adding, "I just confirmed it. He is not seeing them. The meeting is not happening". The delegation reportedly remained in Abuja throughout the weekend after arriving on July 24, awaiting a meeting that never materialised at the presidential level.
Sources further disclosed that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who was attending official engagements in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at the time, had advised the Presidency that it was not appropriate for President Tinubu to personally receive the South African envoys while attacks on Nigerians and their businesses were still ongoing. The foreign affairs minister reportedly insisted that South Africa must first demonstrate concrete commitments and present a signed copy of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Early Warning Mechanism, which both countries signed in Abuja on October 22, 2025, before further high-level diplomatic engagement could proceed. South Africa has reportedly failed to ratify the agreement, citing what Nigerian officials described as "inadequate reasons". The Early Warning Mechanism was designed to strengthen cooperation between both countries in monitoring threats of violence, protecting citizens, addressing consular matters, and facilitating compensation claims for Nigerians whose businesses and properties were destroyed during xenophobic attacks.
The diplomatic snub came less than 24 hours after the reported killing of a Nigerian national, 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, according to footage obtained from the Nigerian community in South Africa. The incident has further heightened concerns over the safety of Nigerians in South Africa and added urgency to the diplomatic row between the two nations.
Receiving the South African delegation in Abuja on behalf of the President, Ambassador Enikanolaiye opened the meeting by welcoming the envoys while making clear Nigeria's deep frustration over the recurring violence. "President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had actually asked us to meet with you and exchange views and perspectives on how to address and resolve the ongoing Afrophobic attacks in South Africa, of which Nigerians and other citizens of Africa have been victims," he said. The minister expressed disappointment over what he described as a persistent pattern of attacks dating back more than three decades, listing incidents from 1995, 1998, 2006, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and 2026. He disclosed that from 2022 alone, 98 Nigerians had died in mob actions and hate-related attacks that he described as Afrophobia, "because Africans, particularly Nigerians, are the predominant victims".
Enikanolaiye stressed that while Nigeria does not condone criminality among its citizens, anyone accused of an offence should be prosecuted in accordance with the law rather than subjected to mob justice. "If someone is, quote-unquote, a criminal for drug trafficking, there are rules, there are regulations for when they are arrested, prosecuted, and jailed," he said. He recalled Nigeria's historic support for South Africa's liberation from apartheid and warned that the recurring violence was inconsistent with the strategic partnership both countries had forged over the years through the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa's Development.
The diplomatic crisis has prompted a series of tough measures from Nigeria. President Tinubu approved five Air Peace evacuation flights for stranded Nigerians, and nearly 600 Nigerians have already been repatriated. The Nigerian government has warned that retaliatory diplomatic measures remain an option. The House of Representatives has recommended suspending business permits for South African companies operating in Nigeria, while the Senate dispatched a delegation to Pretoria to convey Nigeria's concerns. At the 69th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in Lungi, Sierra Leone, Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Tinubu, condemned the attacks and pledged that Nigeria would push for stronger measures against xenophobia at the African Union. Nigeria has also evacuated 1,490 citizens affected by xenophobic violence and reaffirmed its commitment to working with regional and continental institutions to address the crisis.
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