98 Deaths Since 2022: Two More Nigerians Killed in South Africa Reopen an Old Wound

Two Nigerian families are grieving.

Two deaths have also reopened an old and painful argument between Nigeria and South Africa.

James Uchechukwu Nwankwo and Bishop Taiwo Michael Fakunle were killed in separate incidents in South Africa.

Nwankwo died in Cape Town on September 5 after what Nigerian officials described as alleged “gruesome interrogation techniques” by South African police.

Fakunle was killed at his home in Johannesburg on September 4.

In his case, authorities had not identified suspects or established a motive at the time of reporting.

Those details matter.

So does the distinction between the two cases.

It would be wrong to automatically describe every killing of a Nigerian in South Africa as xenophobic without evidence.

But it would also be impossible to discuss the latest deaths without acknowledging the wider history.

South Africa has experienced repeated waves of anti-migrant violence.

Foreign nationals have sometimes been blamed for unemployment, crime and pressure on public services.

Nigerians have frequently found themselves at the centre of those tensions.

The latest deaths have therefore landed in an already sensitive environment.Nigerian officials say at least 98 Nigerians have died in South Africa since 2022 in mob attacks, hate-related incidents and alleged extrajudicial killings.

That number should disturb both governments.

It should also disturb ordinary Nigerians.

South Africa and Nigeria are not strangers.

The two countries have long-standing economic, political and cultural ties.

Nigerians live, work and run businesses in South Africa.

South Africans operate businesses in Nigeria.

Their relationship is far bigger than the occasional diplomatic quarrel.

But a relationship between states becomes fragile when ordinary citizens begin to believe that their lives are not adequately protected.

That is why the latest deaths require more than condemnation.

They require investigation.

If police officers were responsible for wrongdoing, there must be accountability.

ADVERTISEMENT

If criminal gangs were responsible, they must be prosecuted.

If xenophobia played a role, the authorities must confront it.

And if there is no evidence of xenophobia in a particular case, that should also be stated clearly.

The danger is allowing every incident to disappear into the same political argument.

Nigeria’s parliament has already suspended official visits to South Africa indefinitely over anti-migrant violence.

That shows how seriously the situation is being taken.

But diplomatic tension cannot bring the dead back.

The real test is whether both governments can protect citizens before another death becomes another diplomatic statement.

For Nigerians living abroad, the issue is deeply personal.

They are not statistics.

They are fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, children, business owners and professionals.

They left Nigeria looking for opportunity.

They should not have to calculate the price of being Nigerian before stepping outside their doors.

ValidViewNetwork reports that the latest deaths have added pressure to an already difficult Nigeria-South Africa relationship.

The question now is not simply whether Nigeria will protest.It is whether both countries can make the protest unnecessary next time.