Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The National Assembly has suspended all official visits to South Africa and directed its members, committees, officials and staff to boycott South African-hosted or South African-organised legislative activities and engagements until further notice. The decision, announced on Thursday, September 10, 2026, in a statement signed by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, followed consultations between the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It marked the most direct and consequential action taken by the Nigerian legislature in response to a wave of xenophobic violence that has left Nigerians dead, injured, displaced and stripped of businesses, homes and investments in South Africa.
The statement said the National Assembly leadership was gravely concerned by the continuing reports of xenophobic attacks, violence, intimidation, destruction of property and other forms of hostility directed at Nigerians and other African nationals resident in South Africa. The leadership said it was particularly worried by reports of Nigerians being killed, injured, displaced and forced to abandon their legitimate businesses and properties. It noted with concern that despite repeated appeals by the Federal Government and other stakeholders to the South African authorities to take decisive measures to protect Nigerians and other foreign nationals and bring perpetrators of xenophobic violence to justice, reports of such incidents had continued to emerge. That persistence, the leadership said, left the National Assembly with no choice but to take a stand.
The resolution is sweeping in its scope. It covers official visits to South Africa by the National Assembly, its committees, lawmakers, officials and staff. It extends to participation in conferences, seminars, workshops, parliamentary meetings, legislative exchanges and other programmes organised, hosted, sponsored or co-sponsored by the Parliament of South Africa or other South African legislative authorities. Crucially, the suspension applies to both physical and virtual engagements, a reflection of how much legislative diplomacy now takes place online. No delegation, committee, lawmaker, official or staff member may undertake or participate in any such engagement during the suspension without the prior express approval of the National Assembly leadership. All existing arrangements, invitations and proposed programmes involving official visits or legislative engagements in South Africa are to be reviewed in line with the directive. The Clerk was instructed to communicate the decision to all senators, members of the House of Representatives, committees, departments, directorates, officials and staff for strict compliance.
The National Assembly was careful to frame its action not as a rupture in bilateral relations but as a strong expression of concern over the safety, dignity and welfare of Nigerians living and conducting legitimate businesses in South Africa. It stressed that the decision was not intended to undermine the longstanding historical, diplomatic and people-to-people relations between Nigeria and South Africa. But it also made clear that those relations cannot be sustained at the expense of Nigerian lives and livelihoods. The leadership called on the South African government to take urgent and concrete measures to protect Nigerians and other African nationals within its territory and to prevent further xenophobic attacks. It urged the South African authorities to thoroughly investigate reported incidents, arrest suspected perpetrators and ensure that those found culpable are prosecuted in accordance with the law.
The move is the latest chapter in a long and painful history. Nigerians were among the foreign nationals targeted in major outbreaks of xenophobic violence in South Africa in 2008, 2015 and 2019, with attacks on Nigerian-owned businesses and repeated deaths and injuries. Nigerian officials have said that at least 98 Nigerians have been killed in xenophobic attacks since 2022. The latest wave of violence, which followed anti-immigrant protests demanding that migrants leave South Africa, has been particularly severe. About 1,490 Nigerian citizens have been repatriated by the Federal Government amid the unrest. Evacuation flights began in June, with the first batch of 258 Nigerians arriving in Lagos on June 11. By July 9, the number of Nigerians evacuated had risen to about 1,000. The returns continued into August, with 83 returnees arriving in Lagos in one week and another 67 a week later. The returnees were received by government agencies for documentation, profiling and reunification with their families.
The Federal Government has pursued a parallel diplomatic track. In July, during bilateral talks in Abuja, Nigeria demanded stronger protection for its citizens, while South Africa pledged to prosecute perpetrators and maintained that the violence was not state-sponsored. President Bola Tinubu subsequently raised the issue at the African Union, calling for collective action and urging the AU to place xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks in South Africa on the agenda of its 40th Ordinary Session scheduled for January 2027. Vice President Kashim Shettima reiterated Nigeria’s opposition to the mistreatment of Nigerians and other African nationals while stressing that Nigeria remained committed to dialogue and peaceful engagement. The National Assembly’s decision adds a new and sharper edge to that pressure, using the tools of legislative diplomacy to signal that business as usual is no longer acceptable.
In both chambers, the Senate condemned the renewed attacks and called for stronger measures to protect Nigerians, including written safety guarantees and justice for victims, while the House of Representatives called for an investigation into the attacks and the losses suffered by Nigerians in South Africa. The National Assembly leadership has also urged the leadership of the 36 State Houses of Assembly to take note of the decision and consider adopting similar measures. That call reflects a recognition that the response to xenophobia cannot be confined to the federal level. It is a national issue, and it demands a national posture.
For the thousands of Nigerians who have lost loved ones, livelihoods and homes in South Africa, the National Assembly’s decision will not bring back what has been lost. But it sends a clear message that their government is not indifferent to their suffering. It also places the ball firmly in South Africa’s court. If the South African government is serious about protecting foreign nationals and preserving its relationship with Nigeria, it must move beyond pledges and take action that is visible, verifiable and just. The National Assembly has drawn a line. Whether that line holds will depend on whether the violence stops and whether justice is delivered. Until then, the suspension stands, and the message from Abuja is unmistakable: Nigeria will not look away while its citizens are killed.
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