The Nigerian government has announced it will seek compensation from South Africa for citizens forced to abandon businesses and properties following anti-migrant protests and xenophobic violence in recent weeks.
Acting Nigerian high commissioner to South Africa, Alexander Temitope Ajayi, said the government is compiling accurate records of shops, cars and other movable and immovable assets left behind by repatriated citizens to present to South African authorities for compensation claims.
The senior special assistant to the president on foreign affairs and protocol, Ademola Oshodi, declared on Monday that Nigeria would not tolerate xenophobic violence against its nationals, according to All Africa News.
“Africa cannot speak of unity while Africans remain unsafe in Africa,” Oshodi said in a statement.
“The warning is simple: Nigeria expects action. Investigate every reported attack, protect Nigerian communities, restrain vigilante groups, prosecute wrongdoing, and activate the Nigeria-South Africa early warning mechanism without further delay.”
Although the anti-foreigner campaign by xenophobic South Africans began in April, with footage of citizens attacking African foreigners circulating online, a 30 June deadline the aggressors set for foreigners to leave South Africa intensified tension.
On Tuesday, thousands of South Africans marched across cities to protest the presence of African migrants in the country.
At least the deaths of two Nigerians, five Mozambicans and five Ethiopians have been attributed to xenophobic violence in the country.
The crisis has created intense tension between South Africa and many African countries. In April and May, Ghana and Nigeria summoned the South African high commissioners to their respective countries to indicate their displeasure with the violence against Africans in South Africa.
Nigeria has evacuated more than 400 Nigerians from the country in the past month. Ghana repatriated over 1 000 citizens back to their home countries.
By 2 July, a third batch of 298 Nigerians arrived in Lagos via an Air Peace flight, bringing the total number of government-evacuated citizens to 533.
Observers have argued that the South African government is not doing enough to curb the anti-immigrant violence and is actually encouraging it with its own rhetoric.
Oshodi said South Africa has every right to enforce its immigration laws, but that responsibility belongs to the state, not to mobs or vigilante groups.
“No African should be attacked, threatened, denied healthcare, pushed out of business, or humiliated because of where they come from,” he said.
The Nigerian ministry of foreign affairs indicated that compensation demands will be discussed with the South African government through high-level diplomatic channels.
Upon arrival, returnees are receiving humanitarian assistance, profiling and financial aid from state governments and private entities. The ministry of humanitarian affairs and poverty reduction has committed to long-term reintegration, including skills acquisition and livelihood support.
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