The Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg has confirmed the deaths of two more Nigerian nationals in South Africa as the wave of xenophobic violence continues to escalate across the country.
The victims, identified as Emeka Charles Iroegbu and Musa Yunana Joe, were both killed on Sunday, 28 June 2026, though under vastly different circumstances.
According to the consulate, Mr. Joe was killed by suspected criminals in front of his shop in Witbank, Mpumalanga province.
Mr. Iroegbu, meanwhile, was reportedly tortured to death by officers of the Tshwane Metro Police in Sunnyside, Pretoria, using gruesome interrogation techniques.
These latest killings bring the number of Nigerians murdered since the current wave of violence began to four.
The previous victims were Nnaemeka Mathew Andrew Ekpenyong and Amaramiro Emmanuel, who were allegedly beaten to death by personnel of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in Port Elizabeth earlier this year.
The Nigerian Federal Government has expressed great concern and strongly condemned the killings, describing the pattern of incidents as evidence of complicity on the part of security operatives.
The government also voiced strong disapproval of recent derogatory remarks made by South African officials, who publicly urged Nigerians leaving the country to “show us where they have been holding the drugs.”
The Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation stated: “Such derogatory, unprofessional and uncensored generalised public statements by highly placed government officials constitute hate speech that influences and incites negative and criminal actions against members of the Nigerian community.”
Regarding safety, the consulate noted that the ongoing violence raises questions over the general safety of Nigerians and other foreigners in South Africa, and condemned the deliberate attempt by some elements to wrongfully generalise and tag well-meaning, hard-working, and respectable Nigerians as criminals.
Nigeria is calling on South African authorities to conduct urgent investigations into these murders and several other pending cases of extra-judicial killings.
The government maintains that “no matter what the allegations or suspicions may be, there are lawful processes and steps to justice.”
In response to the crisis, the Nigerian government has continued its evacuation efforts.
As of 3 July 2026, a fourth batch of 268 Nigerians was successfully airlifted back to Lagos.
While the Nigerian government has urged citizens to remain calm and avoid retaliatory actions, it warned the South African government that “if the situation continues to persist, all options remain on the table.”
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