• Nigeria has summoned South Africa’s acting high commissioner in Abuja over attacks on Nigerians and their businesses
• The meeting will address “documented instances of mistreatment of Nigerian citizens and attacks on their businesses”
• Ghana made a similar move last week after reported xenophobic attacks against Ghanaians in South Africa

Nigeria has joined Ghana in raising concerns over renewed xenophobic attacks in South Africa, summoning the country’s top diplomat in Abuja over the reported targeting of foreign nationals, including Nigerians.

The Nigerian government said South Africa’s acting high commissioner in Abuja had been called in for a meeting with officials on Monday, May 4, following reports of attacks on Nigerian citizens and their businesses.

According to foreign ministry spokesman Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, the meeting will address “documented instances of mistreatment of Nigerian citizens and attacks on their businesses”.

The diplomatic move comes just days after Ghana also summoned South Africa’s acting high commissioner in Accra over what it described as a string of “xenophobic incidents” involving Ghanaian nationals.

Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, cited one case in KwaZulu-Natal involving a Ghanaian resident who was reportedly harassed despite being in the country legally.

He said the Ghanaian, “a legal resident, was confronted… (and) instructed to leave South Africa and ‘fix his country’”.

Ablakwa also warned that tensions were worsening, noting that “foreign nationals, including Ghanaians, [were] being advised to remain indoors for their safety”.

South Africa has long attracted migrants from across the continent due to its relatively advanced economy, drawing both documented and undocumented workers in search of better opportunities.

However, the country’s deepening unemployment crisis, with joblessness above 30 per cent, has continued to fuel periodic anti-immigrant protests and violent attacks, many of which have targeted African migrants.

Recent incidents have reignited concerns across the continent, prompting diplomatic responses from both Nigeria and Ghana.

According to official statistics, more than three million foreign nationals currently live in South Africa, accounting for about 5.1 per cent of the country’s population.

Over 63 per cent of them come from member states of the Southern African Development Community.

South Africa’s acting police minister, Firoz Cachalia, last week condemned the attacks, describing them as illegal and contrary to the country’s democratic values.

“Acts of xenophobia, violence, looting, or intimidation will not be tolerated under any circumstances,” Cachalia said.

He added that police had “been instructed to act decisively and without hesitation in addressing these incidents.”

The latest diplomatic warnings from Nigeria and Ghana add to growing pressure on South African authorities to curb xenophobic violence and guarantee the safety of foreign nationals living in the country.

“Xenophobia a joke?” South Africa's emergence as world’s friendliest country amuses Nigerians

Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that South Africa had topped the list of the friendliest nations out of the 25 countries in a survey by Remitly, scoring 34.63 out of 40 on the ‘agreeableness’ trait of the Big 5 Personality Test.

Based on the survey, the Big 5 personality test measures five key traits: agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, and neuroticism.

The Remitly survey has, however, sparked debate and controversy among netizens from various countries who argued on the outcome of the research.