The Federal Government has assured Nigerians in South Africa that all citizens who have signified interest in returning home amid ongoing anti-migrant violence will be evacuated before June 30.
This is as the government warned that it may review options against South African businesses operating in Nigeria, including MTN, MultiChoice and Stanbic, as the situation has taken a particularly troubling dimension.
This was contained in a statement issued on Thursday on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, by her Special Assistant on Communication and New Media, Magnus Eze.
The minister said the Tinubu administration remained committed to the safety and welfare of Nigerians abroad and would ensure that no citizen willing to return from South Africa was left behind.
She said, “The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has assured that no Nigerian who has indicated interest in leaving South Africa would be left behind.
“She disclosed that so far, about 1,000 Nigerians have registered to be evacuated from South Africa before the June 30 deadline.
“According to her, the first batch of 258 Nigerian nationals has already been airlifted by the Federal Government from the troubled nation.
“The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb Sola Enikanolaiye, received the evacuees at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Thursday, June 11, 2026, on behalf of the Federal Government.”
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said President Bola Tinubu had directed that Nigerians exposed to danger and harassment in South Africa who voluntarily indicated interest in returning home should be assisted without delay.
“When it comes to situations like this, of course, it is necessary to be temperate and exercise caution.
“But when your citizens are being harassed, when your citizens are people who have spent years there, and mind you, some of them are married to South Africans and have children who have known no other home but South Africa, then it becomes a serious concern,” the minister said.
She lamented that the matter had degenerated to the extent that South African spouses of Nigerians and their children were also being asked to leave the country.
“Now, under these circumstances, they are asking not just Nigerians, but also their South African spouses and their children, to leave South Africa,” she said.
The minister expressed concern over what she described as the unequal treatment of Nigerians relative to the significant presence of South African businesses operating freely in Nigeria.
She specifically named MTN, MultiChoice, Stanbic and Protea as South African brands with a significant footprint in Nigeria, signalling that these businesses could face scrutiny if the situation was not addressed.
“There are over 120 South African companies operating in Nigeria. Nobody is asking them to provide proof of identity. Nobody is asking South African staff working there whether they are South Africans or Nigerians, and nobody is taking over their shops or businesses.
“But this is happening to Nigerians in South Africa. So, I think that at some point, we really have to review the options available to us.
“We have MTN, MultiChoice, Stanbic, Protea and many other South African brands spanning multiple sectors.
“Vigilante groups have reportedly been targeting migrants across several cities, looting their shops, breaking into their homes, and subjecting them to intimidation and humiliation.
“Mobs are also alleged to have killed some foreign nationals, while the police and other security agencies have been accused of doing little to protect migrants or prevent the attacks and calls for them to leave the country,” the statement added.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu also revealed that South African authorities had declined to activate a Memorandum of Understanding signed with Nigeria in October 2025, which established an early warning mechanism intended to protect the lives and property of citizens of both countries.
She said South Africa subsequently argued that those who signed the agreement on its behalf lacked the authority to make it binding and that additional procedures were required before it could take effect.
The minister said Nigeria was continuing to engage South African authorities through diplomatic channels while exploring other lawful options, noting that any further action would be taken in line with constitutional provisions and due legislative process.
She described the anti-migrant attacks as deeply damaging to South Africa’s continental standing, invoking the legacy of Nelson Mandela.
“The late Madiba, Nelson Mandela — God rest his soul — worked so hard to project South Africa as the bastion of pan-Africanism. And in one fell swoop, these anti-migrant vigilante groups have destroyed what this man sacrificed 28 years in prison for.
“South Africa has been stained with the stigma of being a xenophobic country. This is not something I think they will be comfortable with in the long run,” she said.
The minister further indicated that, as a law-abiding nation, any retaliatory measures against South Africa’s anti-migrant actions would have to follow due legislative process.
She explained that the executive arm was actively engaging South African authorities through diplomatic channels and pursuing broader actions.
The minister said the National Assembly has a constitutional role to play in determining Nigeria’s response should diplomatic engagements fail to halt the attacks on Nigerians and their businesses.
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