Nigeria has sharply escalated diplomatic pressure on South Africa, warning that it could activate unspecified measures against Pretoria if the persistent killings and targeted attacks on Nigerian nationals continue, following the deaths of two Nigerians within days amid renewed xenophobic tensions.

In one of its strongest statements in recent years over the safety of its citizens, the federal government condemned what it called a disturbing pattern of extra-judicial killings, hate speech and Afrophobic violence, insisting that South African authorities must urgently bring perpetrators to justice. In a statement by Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa, the government said its patience should not be mistaken for weakness and that all options remained on the table.

The latest row was triggered by the killing of two Nigerians on June 28. One victim, Emeka Iroegbu, was allegedly tortured to death by Tshwane Metro Police officers in Pretoria, while the ministry said the same officers had earlier been responsible for the killing of another Nigerian in April, with no arrests made despite their identities being known. A third man was reportedly shot dead outside his shop in Mpumalanga.

The ministry condemned remarks reportedly made by a South African government spokesperson urging departing Nigerians to disclose where drugs were hidden, describing them as inflammatory, and criticised anti-immigrant groups such as Operation Dudula. It demanded immediate investigations, urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and relocate to safer areas where necessary, and said evacuation of registered nationals was continuing.

The government appealed to Nigerians at home not to embark on reprisals against South African businesses. The warning revives longstanding tensions between the continent’s two largest economies over repeated xenophobic attacks, which drew strong protests during outbreaks in 2015 and 2019 and forced an earlier boycott of a World Economic Forum event in Cape Town.