Senior Advocate of Nigeria Femi Falana has petitioned the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights over “the persistent and escalating threats to the safety and security of Nigerians and other African nationals in the Republic of South Africa.”
In the communication submitted pursuant to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Falana called on the Commission “to urgently intervene and refer the matter to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights for binding adjudication”.
In the petition sent to the African Commission, he highlighted “a pattern of widespread and recurring xenophobic violence, including killings, physical assaults, arbitrary arrests, torture, looting of businesses, and forced displacement”.
Falana said that the attacks were neither isolated nor sporadic but reflected a systemic failure to protect foreign nationals.
“There remains a persistent, widespread, and well-documented pattern of xenophobic violence, intimidation, and discrimination against Nigerians and other African nationals in the Republic of South Africa.
“These violations are neither isolated nor sporadic; rather, they reflect a recurring cycle of attacks marked by killings, physical assaults, arbitrary arrests, torture, looting, destruction of businesses, forced displacement, and sustained threats to life and personal security.
“Recent incidents further underscore the gravity and continuity of these violations. According to the Nigerian Consulate-General in Johannesburg, two Nigerian nationals—Amaramiro Emmanuel and Ekpenyong Andrew—were killed in April 2026 in separate incidents involving personnel of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF),” it read in part.
Credit: channelstv.com
