By a Correspondent
The Nigerian government has instructed citizens returning from South Africa under its voluntary evacuation programme to document businesses, vehicles and other assets they were forced to leave behind as Abuja begins discussions with Pretoria over possible compensation.
The move comes amid escalating anti-immigration tensions in South Africa, where nationwide protests have raised fears of xenophobic violence against foreign nationals.
Zimbabweans and nationals from other African countries are also victims of the anti-immigrants’ campaign by South African vigilantes.
The Zimbabwean government is actively facilitating the repatriation and safe return of its citizens from South Africa due to anti-illegal immigration protests and related security concerns. Over 3,624 citizens have been successfully transported back through the Beitbridge Border Post with full state assistance
Nigeria’s Acting High Commissioner to South Africa, Alexander Ajayi, said the Federal Government’s intervention would extend beyond evacuating affected citizens to protecting their economic interests.
Speaking to Channels Television, Ajayi said returnees had been directed to compile detailed records of businesses, shops, vehicles and other movable and immovable property abandoned before leaving South Africa.
“We have asked them to document very accurately the businesses, cars, movable and immovable properties they are leaving behind,” Ajayi said.
He revealed that the issue has already been discussed with South African officials, including the country’s Deputy Minister of Finance, as both governments begin engagements over compensation for investments owned by Nigerian nationals.
“In terms of the businesses, just three days ago, myself and the South African Deputy Minister of Finance were together, and we were discussing this,” he said.
Ajayi said the documentation exercise would provide evidence of the value of investments accumulated by affected Nigerians and could strengthen future compensation claims.
Although the Nigerian government has not outlined the legal basis on which compensation would be pursued, the move signals Abuja’s intention to elevate the matter from a consular issue to a formal diplomatic engagement with Pretoria.
The voluntary evacuation programme comes as the self-styled March and March movement launched nationwide anti-immigration protests on June 30, with organisers calling for the mass deportation of undocumented migrants.
The demonstrations have heightened anxiety among foreign nationals, many of whom fear the protests could trigger xenophobic attacks similar to those seen in previous years.
The Nigerian government has so far evacuated 335 citizens from South Africa under the programme.
Ajayi said many Nigerians living legally in South Africa had nevertheless opted to return home out of concern that the protests could disrupt businesses or escalate into violence.
The Nigerian government estimates that about 500,000 Nigerians in South Africa are undocumented, although that figure has not been independently verified.
The protests have also prompted international responses. The U.S. Mission to South Africa has scaled back operations at its diplomatic facilities in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg and Pretoria, citing potential security risks linked to the demonstrations.
Whether South Africa will accept responsibility for privately owned assets abandoned by Nigerian nationals remains uncertain. However, Nigeria’s decision to document the losses suggests compensation for affected citizens could become a significant issue in diplomatic relations between Africa’s two largest economies.
