Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1340 EAT on Thursday 2 July 2026

Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it plans to raise the issue of compensation for property abandoned by its citizens with South African authorities through high-level diplomatic engagements.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa told the BBC that the matter would be discussed between the two governments “at the highest levels.”
Acting Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa Alexander Ajayi said on local television on Tuesday that authorities had begun documenting businesses and properties left behind by Nigerians who fled the country.

One Nigerian trader awaiting repatriation told the BBC he had lived in South Africa for nearly a decade but was forced to abandon both his business and home out of fear for his safety.

Oghodero Erejor Wilson, 32, said he was losing “everything because of fear.”
“I left everything in my house, including my clothes,” he said.

Wilson is among hundreds of Nigerians still awaiting evacuation from South Africa. More than 600 Nigerians have already been repatriated in recent weeks as the government continues efforts to assist its citizens returning home.

South African authorities maintain that those repatriated to Nigeria were living in the country illegally, a claim the Nigerian government disputes.

The latest departures come amid a broader exodus of foreign nationals. Approximately 25,000 citizens from other African countries have left South Africa following weeks of protests by groups calling on the government to strengthen measures against illegal immigration.

Several anti-immigration groups had set a June 30 deadline for undocumented migrants to leave the country and organised marches on Tuesday that drew thousands of participants. While the demonstrations were largely peaceful, isolated incidents of violence targeting foreign nationals were reported.

South African police said about 900 people were arrested during the protests, with most facing immigration-related offences and charges linked to looting.
The BBC said it had contacted the South African government for comment on Nigeria’s demand for compensation but had not received a response at the time of publication.

Nigeria’s Acting High Commissioner to South Africa, Alexander Ajayi, said he had instructed all citizens returning home to carefully document the assets they were forced to leave behind, including businesses, vehicles and other movable and immovable property.

“We have asked all those leaving South Africa to document very accurately the businesses, cars and other movable and immovable properties they are abandoning,” Ajayi said.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa told the BBC that every claim would be thoroughly verified before Nigeria submits any formal request for compensation.

“We have not severed ties with South Africa. We are still engaging them at the highest level, and we will resolve these issues through our established diplomatic channels,” Ebienfa said.

Among those awaiting repatriation is Oghodero Erejor Wilson, a trader who said he had operated a clothing business in Centurion, Gauteng Province, for several years.

Wilson said he was forced to shut down his shop and relocate to an area near the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria after fearing for his safety.

Scheduled to return to Nigeria on Friday, he estimated that the merchandise left behind in his shop was worth more than 16,000 rand (about $975 or £735).

Wilson said his residency documents expired in 2021 and that he had been unable to renew them.

Despite Nigeria’s efforts to seek compensation, he said he remained sceptical about the chances of receiving any reimbursement.

“If the South African government compensates us, it would be good, but I don’t think they will,” Wilson said.

-BBC

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