Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Nigeria's High Commissioner-Designate to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, has issued a blistering condemnation of the alleged torture and killing of a Nigerian national by members of the South African Police Service, warning that continued attacks on Nigerians could further strain relations between Africa's two largest economies and vowing that Nigeria would no longer remain silent. Fani-Kayode, a former Minister of Aviation, made the remarks in a strongly-worded statement shared on his official social media pages on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, following what he described as a secretly recorded video showing a Nigerian national allegedly being beaten and tortured to death by South African police officers.
According to the envoy, the footage, which is circulating online, showed the victim being suffocated with a plastic bag while screaming for help. "I just watched a secretly recorded video of a Nigerian national being beaten to death by members of the South African police force in his home, and I am mortified. I listened to the young man's screams as they put a plastic bag over his head and tortured him, and I was badly shaken," Fani-Kayode said. The former minister described the alleged killings, racial profiling, and persecution of Nigerians in South Africa as unacceptable, insisting that silence over the attacks could no longer continue. "The vilification, persecution, targeting, extra-judicial killing, racial stereotyping and murder of Nigerians in South Africa is unacceptable and will not be tolerated," he stated. "Neither will we continue to be complicit in these crimes against our nationals by remaining silent in the face of them".
Fani-Kayode revealed that no fewer than 90 Nigerians have been killed in South Africa since 2022 by what he described as Afrophobic groups, mobs, and security operatives, with no convictions recorded. He further claimed that six Nigerians had been killed in 2026 alone, including three allegedly by South African police officers. According to him, one suspect who was initially arrested was later released and could no longer be traced. "Call me a hardliner if you like, but a situation whereby since 2022 no less than 90 Nigerians have been murdered by Afrophobic forces, rampaging mobs, South African policemen and others, and not one person has been arrested, let alone convicted for any of these heinous crimes, speaks volumes," he said.
The High Commissioner-Designate also cited a recent incident in Cape Town in which a Nigerian was allegedly tortured to death by police inside his residence. He said another Nigerian was shot in the face with a rubber bullet while protesting the death of his friend. Fani-Kayode disclosed that he raised the issue during a meeting with South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation on Monday, July 27, 2026, where both countries agreed to reduce tensions and strengthen bilateral relations. "If our relations are to stabilise with South Africa, this has to stop. We have made much progress, and we had a productive meeting with the South Africans yesterday where we agreed to de-escalate the rhetoric and work closely together to stabilise the situation and build stronger bilateral ties," he said.
Despite his criticism, Fani-Kayode acknowledged that the engagement was productive and a step in the right direction, but stressed that concrete action would be required to restore confidence and improve relations. "This is a step in the right direction and has brought us hope, but much more needs to be done. Action speaks louder than words," he added. The Nigerian envoy maintained that such incidents must end for diplomatic relations between Nigeria and South Africa to improve. The South African Police Service had not responded to the allegations as of the time of this report. The development comes amid heightened concerns over xenophobic attacks and police brutality targeting foreign nationals in South Africa, with Nigeria and other African countries demanding that the issue of "Afrophobia" be discussed at the next African Union summit.
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