Three more Nigerians killed in South Africa, ambassador says
Nigeria’s ambassador to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, says three Nigerians were killed in separate incidents in September, taking the reported number of Nigerian deaths in the country this year to at least 12. The Nigerian consulate linked the cases to police harassment and violence by private actors.
Three more Nigerians have been killed in South Africa this month, taking the number of Nigerians reported murdered there since the beginning of 2026 to at least 12, Nigerian Ambassador Femi Fani-Kayode said. The ambassador said the three deaths occurred on September 18, 20 and 21. The Nigerian consulate identified the victims as Kenechukwu Igwemmadu, Olaniyi Olatunde and Christian Nnaemeka.
According to accounts issued by the consulate, Igwemmadu died after allegedly jumping from a building while trying to escape police harassment and brutality in Bloemfontein. Olatunde was reportedly shot by an unidentified South African at a club in Pretoria. The consulate said the shooter fled and later threatened witnesses.
Nnaemeka was allegedly tortured to death in Primrose during an operation by members of the Sizok’thola team, which the consulate said was led by South African politician Xolani Khumalo. The allegations have not been independently verified in the supplied material. The consulate described the deaths as deeply troubling and said their rapid succession raised questions about a possible pattern of targeting Nigerians.
It also said investigations into earlier deaths had produced no arrests or convictions. Fani-Kayode said 112 Nigerians had been killed in South Africa since 2022, including 32 allegedly killed by members of the country’s security forces. He called on South African authorities to protect Nigerians and bring those responsible to justice.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.