The Nigerian government has demanded urgent and transparent investigations into the deaths of three Nigerian nationals in South Africa within four days, warning that the latest incidents have deepened fears over the safety of Nigerians and other African foreigners in the country.
The Nigerian Consulate-General in Johannesburg said the three deaths occurred between September 18 and 21, 2026, in separate incidents in Bloemfontein, Pretoria and Ekurhuleni.
Consul-General, Ambassador Nnikanwa Okey-Uche called on South African authorities to establish the circumstances surrounding each death and ensure that anyone found culpable is prosecuted in accordance with the law.
The latest cases come against the backdrop of heightened Nigeria-South Africa tensions over alleged xenophobic attacks, violence against migrants and concerns about the treatment of Nigerians by security agencies and vigilante-style groups.
The first death occurred on September 18 in Bloemfontein, where the Consulate identified the deceased as Kenechukwu Christopher Igwemmadu.
According to the Nigerian mission, Igwemmadu allegedly jumped from a building at Kenlin Court on Douglas Street while attempting to escape what it described as police harassment and brutality.
The circumstances surrounding the incident have yet to be independently established, and the Consulate is calling for a full investigation into what happened before the fatal fall.
Two days later, on September 20, Olaniyi Olaleye Olatunde, a Nigerian security guard, was allegedly shot at Spanata Bar and Grills Night Club in Mamelodi East, Pretoria, following an argument reportedly involving a cup belonging to the establishment.
The Consulate said Olatunde sustained a gunshot wound and was taken to Mamelodi Hospital, where he died on September 21.
It further alleged that the unidentified shooter subsequently returned to the nightclub and threatened witnesses before leaving the scene.
The third death involved Christian Hillary Nnaemeka, who, according to the Consulate, died on September 21 following an alleged encounter with South African politician and investigative content creator Xolani Khumalo and members of his Sizok’thola team in Primrose, Ekurhuleni.
The Nigerian mission alleged that Nnaemeka was assaulted and tortured during the encounter and later attempted to escape. It said he subsequently collapsed from injuries and exhaustion and was pronounced dead after being taken to hospital.
Those allegations have not been established in court. The Consulate itself stressed the importance of due process and the presumption of innocence.
The latest death involving Khumalo’s team has also revived scrutiny of the February 2026 killing of Nigerian national Emeka Clement Uzor in Windsor East, Randburg.
South African police confirmed at the time that a murder investigation had been opened after Uzor was fatally shot during an anti-drug operation associated with the production of Sizok’thola. South African reporting said the shooting occurred while a production company was filming in the area and that police were investigating the circumstances.
The Nigerian Consulate has now recalled the case, saying Uzor was shot during an encounter involving Khumalo’s reality television crew and that no arrests had been made in that matter.
The February killing generated competing accounts. ActionSA, which was associated with the operation, confirmed that a shooting occurred during an anti-drug operation and said the Nigerian national had been identified as being involved in drug trafficking. Nigerian community representatives disputed that characterization and called for a transparent investigation.
The unresolved Uzor case has consequently become part of a growing Nigerian concern about the use of vigilante or quasi-law-enforcement tactics against migrants.
The three latest deaths do not stand alone. In July, South Africa’s Independent Police Investigative Directorate opened an investigation into the death of Chika Simon Ibeh, a Nigerian national who died during a police operation in the Western Cape.
IPID said preliminary post-mortem findings showed that Ibeh had sustained multiple bruises and abrasions to his back and chest. The watchdog said its investigation would focus on the death occurring during police action and that the inquiry should be allowed to run its course.
In early September, the Nigerian authorities also reported the deaths of James Uchechukwu Nwankwo and Bishop Taiwo Michael Fakunle. Nigeria said Nwankwo died after alleged police interrogation in Cape Town, while Fakunle was killed at his residence in Johannesburg. The circumstances and motives in the latter case remained unclear.
The situation prompted the Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg to issue a safety advisory after the deaths of eight women in and around Ekurhuleni over approximately two months. The Consulate said South African police had launched a multidisciplinary investigation and had identified concerning similarities in some cases, while stressing that authorities had not established that the deaths were connected or confirmed the existence of a serial killer.
The cumulative effect has been a growing sense of insecurity among sections of the Nigerian community.
The latest deaths are unfolding during one of the most difficult periods in recent Nigeria-South Africa relations.
South Africa has experienced repeated waves of anti-immigrant violence since 2008. Nigerians have often been among the foreign nationals caught up in attacks, alongside migrants from Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi and other African countries.
In 2008, xenophobic violence killed at least 62 people. Further attacks occurred in 2015 and 2019, with Nigerian-owned businesses among properties targeted during periods of unrest.
Tensions intensified again in 2026 amid anti-immigration protests, with migrant communities reporting threats and attacks. Nigeria subsequently repatriated thousands of its citizens following the unrest, while Abuja and Pretoria held diplomatic talks aimed at reducing tensions. South Africa said it condemned xenophobia and maintained that criminality should be addressed through lawful means rather than vigilantism.
Against that background, Nigerian officials have become increasingly concerned that legitimate efforts to combat crime and illegal immigration could spill into collective targeting of foreigners.
Okey-Uche has urged Nigerians in South Africa not to respond to the latest incidents with violence or retaliation.
Instead, the Consul-General called for calm, lawfulness and vigilance while the diplomatic mission pursues the welfare and fair treatment of Nigerians.
Her central demand is accountability through the courts.
“Nigerian and all lives matter,” Okey-Uche said, stressing that allegations must be subjected to due process and that suspects must be presumed innocent and given an opportunity to defend themselves in court.
That message is significant at a time when anger within migrant communities could easily feed further confrontation.
For Nigeria, however, the immediate issue is not simply diplomatic rhetoric. It is whether investigations into the deaths of its citizens will produce clear answers, whether evidence will be properly examined and whether those responsible—if wrongdoing is established—will face justice.
For families now mourning Igwemmadu, Olatunde and Nnaemeka, the demand is more immediate: to know exactly what happened to their loved ones and to see the law applied without fear or favour.
And for the Nigerian government, the growing list of deaths has transformed the question of citizens’ safety in South Africa from an isolated consular concern into a wider diplomatic and human-rights issue.
Michael Olugbode
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