THE Federal Government has condemned the killing of two Nigerians in South Africa and demanded that those responsible be brought to justice.
It also expressed concern over what it described as the growing insecurity facing Nigerians living in the country amid renewed xenophobic and Afrophobic tensions.
In a statement issued yesterday by the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, the government identified one of the victims as Emeka Charles Iroegbu, who was allegedly killed by officers of the Tshwane Metro Police on June 28, 2026, in Sunnyside, Pretoria.
According to the ministry, the same officers had earlier been linked to the alleged extra-judicial killing of another Nigerian, Nnaemeka Mathew Andrew Ekpenyong, on April 20.
The government noted that although the identities of the four officers involved in Ekpenyong’s case were known to the South African Police Service, no arrests had been made.
The second victim, Musa Yunana Joe, popularly known as Big Joe, was reportedly shot dead in front of his shop in Witbank, Mpumalanga, on June 28 by yet-to-be-identified gunmen.
The ministry said the latest killings occurred at a time when foreigners were increasingly becoming targets in South Africa, raising concerns that Nigerians were being unfairly profiled and scapegoated.
It warned that attempts to portray hardworking and law-abiding Nigerians as criminals were dangerous and capable of fuelling further attacks
