National Assembly Suspends All Official Visits to South Africa

Nigeria's legislative assembly has terminated all formal diplomatic missions to South Africa and required its senators, representatives, committees, personnel and staff to decline legislative sessions arranged by South African governmental bodies. Effective immediately, this suspension will continue without a fixed endpoint.

The measure resulted from consultations between leaders of both chambers responding to escalating xenophobic and Afrophobic violence targeting Nigerians and other African nationals residing in South Africa. Documented reports describe Nigerians who have perished, suffered wounds, faced displacement and been forced to relinquish their enterprises and residences across South Africa.

Officials of the Assembly issued statements highlighting violent campaigns, intimidatory actions, and destruction of property as reasons justifying this weighty official decision. Through such action, the Assembly signals its resolve to pressure South African authorities into addressing the protection crisis harming its citizens.

Kamoru Ogunlana, serving as Clerk to the National Assembly, authorized Friday's official announcement regarding the suspension. The measure applies to all upper and lower chamber members along with institutional personnel, creating a blanket ban on parliamentary engagement between Nigeria and its southern neighbor.

This forceful legislative-level measure ranks among Nigeria's most prominent parliamentary responses to ongoing xenophobic violence. Nigerian diplomatic officials have tracked the xenophobic violence occurring in South Africa.

In July, Nigeria's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs made public remarks regarding the scope of this crisis. Records from official documentation show 98 Nigerian deaths resulting from xenophobic incidents since 2022, although the National Assembly's leadership statements have not uniformly cited this particular casualty figure in all announcements.