Vice President Kashim Shettima has warned that Nigeria will no longer tolerate the dehumanisation and mistreatment of its citizens in South Africa, particularly amid recurring xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks.
Shettima issued the warning on Monday while speaking to journalists in Luanda, Angola, shortly before departing for Nigeria after representing President Bola Tinubu at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union.
The Vice President said the repeated attacks against Nigerians had crossed a line that the Federal Government could no longer ignore.
His Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, disclosed this in a statement titled, ‘VP Shettima: Why South Africans Must Rethink Xenophobic, Afrophobic Attacks.’
According to Shettima, Nigeria would continue to seek dialogue with South Africa but would also make its position clear whenever the rights and dignity of its citizens were threatened.
“The government and people of Nigeria will no longer countenance a situation whereby our people are dehumanised and put into very, very unacceptable situations,” he said.
Shettima also recalled Nigeria’s historic contribution to the liberation struggle in Southern Africa, urging South Africans to remember the country’s support during the anti-apartheid era.
“Those whose palm kernels were cracked by benevolent spirits should learn to be humble,” he said.
The Vice President stressed that Nigeria preferred diplomacy and constructive engagement rather than confrontation, but warned that the country’s restraint should not be mistaken for acceptance of the situation.
“We believe in having very robust conversations with our South African brothers. We don’t want to overheat the polity, but once in a while, you have to make it very clear, vehemently clear, that certain situations are unacceptable, and we’ll work things out.”
He also called on South African authorities to ensure that immigration laws were enforced without violating the lives, dignity and fundamental rights of foreign nationals.
Shettima’s comments came after Nigeria formally raised concerns over recurring attacks against its citizens in South Africa at the African Union summit.
Representing President Tinubu, Nigeria reported the incidents to the AU and requested that the matter be placed on the agenda of the 40th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government scheduled for January 2027.
The Federal Government has described the attacks as a threat to African solidarity, unity and peaceful coexistence.
Shettima has since departed Luanda for Nigeria.
