Nigeria accuses South African police in killing of two nationals

Nigeria said two of its nationals were killed in South Africa on June 28, deepening friction between Africa’s two largest economies as anti-immigrant protests spread across South African cities and towns. The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the killings came amid violence targeting African workers and foreigners and just two days before an unofficial deadline set by protest groups for foreigners to leave the country.

The ministry identified one victim as Emeka Charles Iroegbu and said he was reportedly killed by officers of the Tshwane Metro Police in Sunnyside, Pretoria, using what it called “gruesome interrogation techniques.” It said the second victim, Musa Yunana Joe, was killed the same day by unidentified attackers outside his shop in Witbank, Mpumalanga. The twin deaths added to alarm in Abuja over attacks on Nigerians living in South Africa, where protesters have accused migrants of taking jobs and public services.

Nigeria also said the same officers were responsible for the earlier killing of another Nigerian, Nnaemeka Mathew Andrew Ekpenyong, on April 20, 2026. The ministry said no arrests had been made in that case even though the officers involved were known to the South African Police Service, a claim that raised fresh questions about police accountability and the handling of violence against foreign nationals.

The Nigerian government said foreign nationals were being “unduly targeted” as anti-migrant demonstrations drew large turnouts in South African cities and towns. Bloomberg reported that Nigeria accused South African authorities of criminal liability in the deaths of its citizens and warned it would mobilize regional and international action. South African authorities in Pretoria had not publicly commented at the time, leaving Nigeria’s allegations unanswered as pressure mounted on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government to address the violence and the policing failures around it.