Senate Demands Safety Guarantees as Xenophobic Attacks Target Nigerians in SA

• Lawmakers seek military officers killers’ arrest 

•Queries N943m board allowances, faults governance crisis at n’west devt commission 

•Nigeria to receive fourth evacuation from SA as returnees rise to 1,129

Michael Olugbode and Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The Senate, yesterday, condemned the renewed wave of xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other African nationals in the Republic of South Africa.

It subsequently directed the federal government to immediately secure written assurances from Pretoria on the safety of Nigerians while demanding the arrest and prosecution of those behind the violence.

The upper chamber also warned that Nigeria’s longstanding commitment to African solidarity should not be mistaken for weakness, insisting that the repeated intimidation, displacement, unlawful profiling and attacks on Nigerians had gone beyond immigration enforcement and now amounted to outright xenophobic hostility.

The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, who lamented the renewed campaign of intimidation against Nigerians after anti-migrant groups in South Africa issued an ultimatum directing undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country by June 30, 2026.

Ekpenyong told the Senate that the expiration of the ultimatum had been followed by widespread reports of fear, demonstrations, displacement, violence and attacks on foreign-owned businesses and homes.

According to him, the intimidation had extended beyond undocumented migrants to Nigerians and other foreigners possessing valid residence, work and immigration permits.

“Many have reportedly been threatened, profiled, evicted or harassed by unauthorized vigilante groups. The indiscriminate targeting of foreign nationals, including lawful residents, demonstrates that this campaign goes beyond immigration enforcement and amounts to xenophobic hostility based on nationality and perceived foreign origin,” he said.

Supporting the motion, Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno described the recurring attacks as an unfortunate cycle that resurfaced every one or two years.

Senator Orji Uzor Kalu recalled Nigeria’s enormous sacrifices in the struggle against apartheid and commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for facilitating the evacuation of Nigerians willing to return home.

Senator Abdul Ningi argued that Nigeria’s foreign policy should place Nigerians at its centre.

Responding, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, said Abdullahi’s intervention had introduced an important dimension deserving careful consideration.

He urged restraint and directed the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs to investigate developments in South Africa and submit a comprehensive report within two legislative weeks.

Akpabio also appealed to senators seeking the nationalisation of South African businesses or the severance of diplomatic relations to suspend such proposals pending the committee’s report.

The Senate subsequently adopted the substantive prayers of the motion by urging the federal government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerian High Commission in South Africa, to obtain written assurances from the South African government on the protection of Nigerians.

The Senate then demanded the arrest and prosecution of perpetrators of the attacks, strengthened emergency consular services and established a verified register of affected Nigerians for legal redress, restitution and compensation.

Senate Queries N943m Board Allowances, Faults Crisis at N’West Devt Commission

The Senate, yesterday, expressed serious concern over what it described as governance failures in the North West Development Commission (NWDC), querying the payment of about N943 million as board allowances and the prolonged delay in appointing executive directors to the intervention agency.

The upper chamber also questioned the commission’s financial management, internal disputes and slow implementation of projects.

He warned that the agency established to address insecurity, poverty and infrastructure deficits in the North-west must not be crippled by administrative lapses.

The concerns were raised at an investigative session of the Senate Committee on Regional Development with officials of the NWDC and the Federal Ministry of Regional Development.

Lawmakers were particularly disturbed by documents showing that out of N1.19 billion spent by the commission, N943 million was used for board allowances, representing about 79 per cent of the expenditure under the relevant subhead.

The committee also sought explanations for why the NWDC remained the only regional development commission operating without executive directors despite being among the first created by an Act of the National Assembly.

The Minister of State for Regional Development, Alhaji Uba Maigari Ahmadu, told the committee that the ministry had intervened in the lingering dispute over the commission’s office accommodation in Kano, which had fuelled friction between the governing board and management.

According to him, the commission initially operated from offices donated by private organisations before disagreements emerged over which facility should serve as its headquarters.

Ahmadu disclosed that the Kano State Government has now provided a fully furnished office complex, operational vehicles and a parcel of land for the commission.

Nigeria to Receive Fourth Evacuation Flight from South Africa as Returnees Rise to 1,129

The federal government will today receive another batch of Nigerians evacuated from South Africa, as efforts intensify to bring home citizens displaced by the latest wave of xenophobic violence in Africa’s most industrialised nation.

The fourth evacuation flight, operated by Air Peace, was expected to land at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, at about 5:00 a.m., conveying 270 Nigerians, who opted to return following renewed attacks that have heightened fears among foreign nationals.

With the latest operation, the total number of Nigerians evacuated under the emergency exercise will rise to 1,129, underscoring the scale of the humanitarian response mounted by the federal government in collaboration with Nigerian diplomatic missions in South Africa.

Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, disclosed the flight schedule in an update issued on Tuesday.

He said the Air Peace aircraft assigned to the operation would depart Johannesburg at midnight before arriving in Lagos in the early hours of Wednesday.

“In continuation of the ongoing evacuation of our nationals from South Africa, Air Peace aircraft deployed for the process is expected to depart Johannesburg for Lagos with 270 returnees at 12.00 midnight and the estimated time of arrival at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, is 5.00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, all things being equal,” Ebienfa stated.

The latest evacuation followed three earlier flights that brought home 859 Nigerians, many of whom reportedly fled after businesses were attacked, properties destroyed and fears of further violence spread through communities with large migrant populations.

The Nigerian government has repeatedly maintained that while many of its citizens have chosen to remain in South Africa, it would continue to facilitate the voluntary return of those who no longer consider it safe to stay.