Falana Urges Sanctions on South African Firms Over Attacks

Femi Falana, a human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, has called on the Federal Government to impose economic sanctions on South African companies operating in Nigeria in response to ongoing xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and the destruction of their businesses in South Africa. Speaking in Ilawe-Ekiti, Falana argued that diplomatic protests alone would not compel the South African government to act decisively against these attacks.

He suggested that Nigeria should adopt measures based on reciprocity in international relations, including the revocation of mining licenses for South African companies in Nigeria. Falana also criticized the Nigerian government for not adequately protecting its citizens from harassment and human rights violations across Africa, noting that Nigeria has not recognized the jurisdiction of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights for individual petitions.

He urged Nigerians to support alternatives to South African-owned businesses, such as telecommunications giant MTN, to send a strong message to South African authorities.