Africa: Xenophobia – Reps to Probe Nigerians’ Losses in South Africa

[Xenophobic Attacks: House of Representatives Initiates Probe into Nigerian Residents’ Losses in South Africa]

The House of Representatives has established a specialized investigative committee to examine losses, damages, and casualties endured by Nigerian nationals in South Africa due to xenophobic attacks. The committee will conduct a thorough inventory of property abandoned by Nigerians in the country due to previous and recent xenophobic attacks.

The House of Representatives has mandated the relevant committees to propose appropriate diplomatic initiatives, legal mechanisms, and bilateral engagements aimed at ensuring accountability for perpetrators of xenophobic attacks, enhancing the protection of Nigerian residents in South Africa, and ensuring the effective implementation of relevant international human rights obligations.

This decision followed the adoption of a motion during a plenary session on Tuesday, moved by Hon. Babajimi Benson (APC, Lagos).

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Honorable Benson highlighted that Nigeria played a pivotal role in South Africa’s liberation, having invested substantial diplomatic, financial, and political resources towards dismantling the Apartheid regime. He expressed deep concern that, despite this shared history, Nigerians residing lawfully in South Africa have been recurrent targets of xenophobic violence over the past two decades. This violence, characterized by killings, mob attacks, physical assaults, arson, looting of businesses, destruction of properties, forced displacement, intimidation, and hate campaigns directed specifically at African migrants, reflects a disturbing trend of intolerance.

The lawmaker emphasized that significant outbreaks of xenophobic violence have been recorded in 2008, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, and at various other times since, leading to sustained diplomatic tensions between Nigeria and South Africa. These incidents have resulted in the emergency evacuation of Nigerian citizens, with the South African government repeatedly assuring adequate preventive measures would be implemented. The House of Representatives is now taking this matter into its own hands to ensure accountability and adequate protection for Nigerian residents in South Africa.

Honorable Benson noted that the recent surge in coordinated anti-foreigner campaigns and inflammatory rhetoric propagated by groups like Operation Dudula and similar organizations has fostered widespread fear among Nigerian residents in South Africa. Many have reportedly abandoned their homes, businesses, and investments in response to threats and unlawful ultimatums issued against foreign African nationals.

“Previous sessions of the National Assembly have repeatedly debated motions condemning xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa, expressing sympathy for the victims, and urging diplomatic engagement between both governments,” the lawmaker noted. “However, none of these efforts have resulted in a comprehensive legislative inquiry to establish the actual number of Nigerians killed, injured, displaced, or the total economic losses suffered by Nigerian citizens over the years.

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Honorable Benson expressed concern that each successive wave of xenophobic violence has been met with public condemnation and diplomatic protests, without a corresponding institutional effort to comprehensively document the losses suffered by Nigerians.

He argued that this lack of documentation denies the Federal Government and the National Assembly an authoritative evidential basis for policy formulation, legislative intervention, and sustained diplomatic negotiations.

According to him, a comprehensive legislative inquiry has become indispensable, not only to ascertain responsibility for the recent attacks but also to record the cumulative human, economic, and social consequences of xenophobic violence targeting Nigerians in South Africa.

Upon adopting the motion, the House assigned its Committees on Diaspora, Foreign Affairs, Integration, and Cooperation in Africa to conduct the investigation, with a report due within four weeks for subsequent legislative action.

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