President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday declined to receive a special delegation dispatched by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, directing the team instead to engage with Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye.
The South African delegation, led by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola, arrived in Abuja on Friday, July 24, 2026, carrying a message from President Ramaphosa. Presidency sources indicated that the visitors sought an audience with President Tinubu without prior formal notice.
The decision comes amid heightened tensions over persistent xenophobic attacks targeting Nigerians and other foreign nationals in South Africa. These include the reported torture and killing of Nigerian citizen Chika Ibe, allegedly by members of the South African Police Service in Cape Town. Nigerian officials have repeatedly called for stronger protection of their citizens, accountability for the violence, and concrete action to prevent further incidents.
According to sources familiar with the discussions, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, currently in Addis Ababa, advised that a presidential-level meeting was not appropriate at this time. She reportedly emphasised the need for South Africa to ratify and present the signed Memorandum of Understanding on the Early Warning Mechanism, an agreement concluded by both countries in Abuja on October 22, 2025, before further high-level engagement proceeds.
President Tinubu instructed that the delegation meet Ambassador Enikanolaiye, who would subsequently brief him on the discussions. The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs received the South African officials on Monday in Abuja, alongside Nigeria’s Ambassador to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, and other officials.
In the engagement, Ambassador Enikanolaiye condemned the recurring violence, noting that 98 Nigerians had died in mob actions since 2022 alone. He recalled Nigeria’s historical support for South Africa’s liberation struggle and urged that alleged offenders be handled through due process rather than mob justice.
The development underscores Nigeria’s firm stance on the safety and dignity of its citizens abroad while keeping diplomatic channels open at the ministerial level.