Nigeria won’t tolerate mistreatment of citizens in S’Africa — Shettima

Vice President Kashim Shettima has warned that Nigeria will no longer accept the continued humiliation and mistreatment of its citizens in South Africa, particularly amid recurring xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks.

Shettima issued the warning on Monday shortly before leaving Luanda, Angola, where he represented President Bola Tinubu at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the African Union Assembly.

According to a statement by the Vice President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima said the treatment of Nigerians in South Africa had reached a point that required a firm response from the Nigerian government.

“The government and people of Nigeria will no longer countenance a situation whereby our people are dehumanised and put into very, very unacceptable situations,” he said.

The Vice President recalled Nigeria’s contribution to the struggle against apartheid and the liberation of Southern African countries, saying the country was therefore particularly concerned about the treatment of its citizens in South Africa.

“We were part of the struggle for the liberation of our brothers and sisters in Southern Africa, and we feel personally pained that our people have been picked up for humiliation,” he said.

Shettima, however, said Nigeria would continue to favour dialogue and diplomatic engagement in addressing the issue rather than confrontation.

“We believe in having very robust conversations with our South African brothers. We don’t want to overheat the polity, but once in a while, you have to make it very clear, vehemently clear, that certain situations are unacceptable, and we’ll work things out,” he said.

He called on South African authorities to ensure that the enforcement of immigration laws did not result in the violation of human rights or the degradation of African nationals living in the country.

The development followed Nigeria’s formal presentation of the issue at the AU summit, where the Federal Government called for the recurring xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks to be considered at the 40th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly scheduled for January 2027.

Nigeria argued that such attacks threaten African solidarity, unity and peaceful coexistence and called for stronger continental action to address them.

Shettima subsequently departed Luanda for Nigeria.