Three Nigerians Die in Four Days as Consulate Demands Justice in South Africa

The Consulate-General of Nigeria in Johannesburg has condemned the deaths of three Nigerian nationals in separate incidents across South Africa between 18 and 21 September 2026, describing the rapid succession of killings as deeply troubling and raising fresh questions about the safety of Nigerians and other foreigners in the country.

Consul-General Ambassador Ninikanwa Okey-Uche said in a statement that the incidents in Bloemfontein, Pretoria and Ekurhuleni appeared to form a pattern of targeting Nigerians and called on South African authorities to conduct thorough investigations and bring those responsible to justice. “Nigerian and all lives matter,” the statement emphasised. “In cases where allegations may exist, no matter what they are, there are processes and steps to justice. All should be presumed innocent and granted a fair hearing in a court of law. No one should take the law into their own hands.”

Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, said the latest deaths had raised the number of Nigerians killed in the country this year to 12 and to 112 since 2022. He claimed 32 of those since 2022 were killed by members of South African security forces, with no convictions recorded in any of the cases, and urged authorities to protect Nigerian nationals and prosecute perpetrators.

The first death occurred on 18 September. Kenechukwu Christopher Igwemmadu (also reported as Igwemmadú) allegedly jumped from a building at Kenlin Court on Douglas Street in Bloemfontein’s Central Business District while trying to escape what the consulate described as police harassment and brutality. The circumstances remain under investigation.

Two days later, on 20 September, Olaniyi Olaleye Olatunde, a 40-year-old security guard from Ikere-Ekiti in Ekiti State and a husband and father of two, was shot at Spanata Bar and Grills Night Club in Mamelodi East, Pretoria. According to the consulate and the Nigerian Union in South Africa (NUSA), Olatunde attempted to stop a South African customer from leaving with a cup belonging to the club.

The encounter escalated; the customer allegedly drew a firearm and shot Olatunde in the lower body, causing serious injury and heavy blood loss. The shooter fled, then returned and threatened to kill any witnesses who reported him to police. Olatunde was taken to Mamelodi Hospital, where he was confirmed dead on the morning of 21 September. NUSA President-General Smart Nwobi described the family as devastated and demanded a thorough, transparent investigation.

The third incident took place on 21 September in Primrose, Ekurhuleni. Christian Hillary Nnaemeka, a 34-year-old married man from Enugu-Ezike in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State and father of a three-year-old son, died following an alleged encounter with South African politician and investigative content creator Xolani Khumalo and members of his Sizok’thola content creation team. The consulate said the crew allegedly arrested, beat and tortured Nnaemeka despite finding nothing incriminating on him. He attempted to escape by jumping a fence, collapsed from injuries and exhaustion, and was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital. The incident was reported around Willow and Filbert Streets at about 8pm. NUSA has demanded an immediate, independent and transparent probe.

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The consulate linked the Primrose case to an earlier fatal incident involving the same group.

On 8–9 February 2026, another Nigerian, Emeka Clement Uzor, was shot dead in Windsor East, Randburg, during an operation involving Khumalo’s reality television crew. Police opened a murder investigation; no arrests have been reported. Khumalo, an ActionSA candidate for mayor of Ekurhuleni, has denied wrongdoing in related matters and was acquitted earlier this year of separate assault and firearm charges arising from a different anti-drug operation.

Okey-Uche said the successive deaths continued to raise concerns about the treatment and security of Nigerians and other Africans amid xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks, threats and other forms of ill-treatment. The mission urged South African authorities to investigate fully and prosecute those found responsible, while advising Nigerians in the country to remain calm, law-abiding and security-conscious.

The latest cases add to longstanding diplomatic friction over the safety of Nigerian migrants in South Africa. South African authorities had not issued a detailed public response to the consulate’s latest statement at the time of writing.