BREAKING: National Assembly Suspends Legislative Engagements With South Africa Over Xenophobic Attacks

The National Assembly has suspended all official legislative engagements with South Africa, including visits, conferences, workshops and parliamentary exchanges, over renewed xenophobic attacks targeting Nigerians and other African nationals.

The decision, announced on Friday, followed consultations between the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives amid reports of Nigerians being killed, injured, displaced and forced to abandon their homes, businesses and investments in South Africa.

In a statement signed by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, the federal legislature said it was deeply concerned about the recurring attacks and the continued failure of South African authorities to halt the violence despite repeated diplomatic interventions.

The statement said the suspension covers all official visits to South Africa by the National Assembly, its committees, lawmakers, officials and staff until further notice.

It also includes a boycott of conferences, seminars, workshops, parliamentary meetings, legislative exchange programmes and other activities organised or hosted by South African legislative authorities.

According to the statement, the ban applies to both in-person attendance and participation via virtual or online platforms.

“The leadership has directed the Clerk to issue the necessary communication to senators, members of the House of Representatives, committees, departments, directorates, officials and staff to ensure strict compliance,” the statement read.

It added that the suspension would remain in force pending a review by the leadership “as circumstances warrant.”

The National Assembly said it took the decision after noting persistent reports of xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other African nationals living in South Africa.

It said that previous appeals by the Federal Government of Nigeria and other stakeholders, urging South African authorities to protect foreign nationals and bring perpetrators to justice, had failed to stop further incidents.

While acknowledging the Nigerian government’s efforts to assist affected citizens and facilitate their return home, the lawmakers said stronger measures were needed to demonstrate Nigeria’s concern for the safety and welfare of its citizens abroad.

The legislature, however, clarified that the decision was not intended to undermine the longstanding historical, diplomatic and people-to-people relations between Nigeria and South Africa.

Instead, it described the suspension as “a strong expression of concern over the safety, dignity and welfare of Nigerians living and conducting legitimate businesses” in South Africa.

The National Assembly’s action comes months after Nigeria began evacuating its citizens from South Africa following renewed xenophobic violence.

The first batch of 258 Nigerians arrived in Lagos on June 11, with additional evacuation flights bringing home hundreds more in the weeks that followed.

By July 9, about 1,000 Nigerians had been evacuated after voluntarily registering for the exercise and undergoing screening by government authorities.

The evacuation continued into August, when 83 Nigerians returned to Lagos following renewed attacks, while another 67 returnees arrived a week later.

Government agencies received the returnees for documentation, profiling and reunification with their families.

Beyond the evacuation exercise, Nigeria has continued to mount diplomatic pressure on South Africa over the attacks.

In July, the federal government urged South African authorities to take concrete steps to end recurring xenophobic violence against Nigerians.

Nigeria’s Acting High Commissioner to South Africa also disclosed that the government had begun documenting businesses and properties abandoned by returning Nigerians as part of efforts to seek possible compensation.

President Bola Tinubu later raised the issue before the African Union, calling for collective action and urging the continental body to place xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks in South Africa on the agenda of its 40th Ordinary Session scheduled for January 2027.

Vice President Kashim Shettima also reaffirmed Nigeria’s opposition to the mistreatment of Nigerians and other African nationals, while maintaining that the country remained committed to dialogue and peaceful engagement with South Africa.

The National Assembly called on the South African government to urgently protect Nigerians and other African nationals residing in the country.

It urged authorities to prevent further xenophobic attacks, investigate reported incidents, arrest suspected perpetrators and prosecute those found culpable in accordance with the law.

The leadership also asked state Houses of Assembly across Nigeria to take note of the resolution and consider adopting similar measures, stressing that the National Assembly would continue to monitor developments affecting the safety and welfare of Nigerians in South Africa