Nigerian senators have called for African Union sanctions against South Africa and threatened economic retaliation over what they describe as persistent xenophobic attacks on Nigerian nationals—a diplomatic crisis that threatens to undermine the continent's already fragile integration agenda.
The push came during parliamentary sessions this week, as lawmakers from Africa's most populous nation demanded action following recent anti-immigrant marches by groups including Operation Dudula. Senator Victor Umeh told colleagues that many Nigerians in South Africa now live in hiding.
"This is 2026 and the xenophobic attacks have continued," Umeh said, referencing a 2024 parliamentary visit to Johannesburg where he witnessed conditions he called "very grave and worrisome." "Many are in hiding."
The diplomatic spat carries economic weight. Senator Adams Oshiomhole, a former labor leader and state governor, called for Nigeria to withdraw operating licenses from South African corporate giants MTN and DStv—companies that have generated billions in revenue from the Nigerian market. Such a move would send shockwaves through regional business and test the limits of the African Continental Free Trade Area, which launched with ambitious promises of borderless commerce across the continent's 54 nations.
Minority Leader Abba Moro invoked history in making Nigeria's case. "South Africa should respect Nigeria for standing by it during apartheid," he said, echoing a common refrain among Nigerian politicians who point to their country's front-line support for the anti-apartheid struggle—from hosting exiled ANC leaders to implementing economic sanctions when Western nations still hedged their bets.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio characterized the situation as "Stone Age behaviour," while lawmakers announced plans for a fact-finding mission to . South African International Relations Minister held phone consultations with his Nigerian counterpart on Tuesday, though neither government has released details of that conversation.
